Padres must face harsh reality as King and Cease inch toward big-money exits

Tuesday, November 18 is a big day in the MLB offseason. It is the qualifying offer deadline, and players will be able to accept or reject their offers until 1 p.m. PST. Two specific players will be on Padres fans' radars on this day, as we expect starting pitchers Michael King and Dylan Cease to decline their one-year, $22.025 million offers.

It's pretty easy to project that these two right-handers will seek a contract in the $100-plus million range this offseason, which puts San Diego in a rough spot. Either AJ Preller signs one of them, or neither. Retaining both is not an option as the Friars are turning the page on a disappointing 2025 season.

One team that has reportedly expressed interest in both Cease and King is the Chicago Cubs. Sigh. Of course the team that eliminated the Padres from the postseason (in embarrassing fashion) is apparently in talks with two of the club's most promising starting pitchers.

Chicago Cubs eye Padres' Dylan Cease, Michael King for 2026 with qualifying offer deadline looming

Now, if the Cubs were to sign one or both of these pitchers, they would have to sacrifice at least one draft pick. MLB's collective bargaining agreement rules state that if a team signs a player who rejected a QO offer, they will be penalized one or more draft picks in the upcoming draft.

That's a price that Chicago is definitely willing to pay, though. This team already has the chops for a run at the World Series in 2026, so adding a polished starting pitcher to an already-solid rotation would make them a championship contender alongside the Dodgers and Phillies in the National League. Losing out on one or two draft picks would not hurt them much.

The Cubs were tied for fourth in the National League last year in collective ERA (3.79), but they were 12th in overall strikeouts. Cease's 11.5 K/9 led the league in 2025 and King's career K/9 is 10.2. Either guy would largely help turn around Chicago's strikeout problem.

Cease and King dominated the Cubs in the postseason, too despite Chicago winning the series. The two pitchers combined for 5.2 scoreless innings in the NL Wild Card round with eight strikeouts. If the Cubs can add one of these two players, that's one less thing to worry about come October.