Baseball America’s MLB free agent rankings paint bleak Padres odds on Cease, King

Two of the biggest names on the starting pitcher market are coming out of the San Diego Padres’ rotation in Dylan Cease and Michael King, who helped anchor the staff alongside Nick Pivetta in 2025.

With Cease already being an unrestricted free agent and King joining him by turning down his mutual option, the two are set to earn large, multi-year contracts this winter. This scenario isn’t ideal for the Padres, as they only have $47 million in available payroll to spend and with the market values for both Cease and King, it is unlikely that either of them will return.

Padres’ chances for Dylan Cease or Michael King look grim after new contract projections

Projected contracts according to Baseball America:

• Dylan Cease: 5 years, $160 million ($32 million per year)
• Michael King: 4 years, $110 million ($27.5 million per year)

A.J. Preller has a very difficult decision to make: sign one or let both of them walk, because it wouldn’t be feasible to re-sign both with the other holes present on the roster. The team right now is set to see Luis Arráez, Ryan O’Hearn, and Robert Suarez depart in free agency.

The Padres will need to retain some money to afford replacements for the infield positions occupied by Arráez and O’Hearn. They could move Jake Cronenworth from second base to first, as he can play a variety of positions within the infield. 

The starting-pitcher market, as we have mentioned previously, is incredibly deep, with players such as Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez, Shota Imanaga, and others headlining the class.

While Baseball America projects Cease and King to be out of play for the Padres, the depth of starting pitchers is something to keep an eye on, as Preller looks to match someone with Pivetta at the front end of the rotation. 

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how the Padres approach the offseason, even after Preller articulated that they would prioritize starting pitching.