Padres bracing for Michael King exit as his market goes full AL East

It is starting to sound more and more like Michael King will not be returning to the San Diego Padres in 2026.

According to recent reports, King's market is winding down to the AL East, where the Yankees, Orioles, and Red Sox are his final choices.

It makes sense for a New York native who has lived on the East Coast for most of his life. A return to the East Coast is probably what King has been planning all along, after his breakout in San Diego has made him one of the most coveted free agent arms this winter.

Padres’ Michael King hopes take a hit as the AL East gets loud

Gaslamp Ball, a Padres' blog, posted a fan survey, asking fans which free agent arm they would prefer the team to sign this winter. 48% said Michael King, beating out names like Framber Valdez (19%), Ranger Suarez (18%), and Zac Gallen (7%).

However, it looks like King's time in San Diego is officially over. San Diego will now need to brace for impact, as their rotation depth looks thinner and thinner every day.

Dylan Cease already signed with the Blue Jays, and Yu Darvish is out for the year. The current rotation features Nick Pivetta (who is also being shopped, apparently) and he's probably the only starter most fans will feel good about going into the season. Unless you feel good about Joe Musgrove, who will be returning after a year and a half off the mound.

Clearly, the Padres will have some work to do to supplant the rotation and construct a pitching staff ready to take on the NL West. It might require AJ Preller to get creative, making trades and free agency deals that could bring in multiple starters instead of going all-in on one superstar, like he often does.

Would a rotation of Pivetta, Musgrove, Randy Vasquez, JP Sears, and Kyle Hart be acceptable in 2026? Barely, and that all changes if Pivetta or Miller gets traded. San Diego is reportedly considering trading both Pivetta and Miller, according to a report from MLB.com from a few days ago.

Ultimately, this rotation is looking like it is in serious trouble, and a Michael King return would have been a huge help. Losing him for good hurts, and it's unclear what the plan is at this point.