Padres quietly keeping the door open for a key arm from their 2025 staff

Among the San Diego Padres' laundry list of notable free agents, Michael King stands out as perhaps the most important one.

Though injuries diminished his effectiveness in 2025, the 30-year-old successfully completed his transition from the bullpen to the rotation last year, pitching to a 2.95 ERA and 3.33 FIP in 173 2/3 innings while accruing 3.9 fWAR.

He's likely to sign a lucrative contract in free agency — perhaps before the end of the Winter Meetings. That has the pitching-needy Padres on the clock, though the most recent update on King may portend some positive news for the Friars.

MLB insider Mark Feinsand listed King as one of his top five starting pitchers still available ahead of the Winter Meetings, noting that in terms of pure talent, King ranks as highly as anyone in free agency. He also provided an update on the right-hander's market, saying: "Sources tab the Yankees, Cubs, Mets and Tigers as the most interested clubs, though others including the Orioles, Angels, Padres and Marlins are also in the mix for King."

Though clearly not the favorites, it's telling that the Padres remain in on King after losing Dylan Cease to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Padres would be wise to re-sign Michael King... if they can afford him

King's 2025 campaign wasn't much to write home about — he missed over half the season with shoulder and knee injuries, only making 15 starts. Still, the Padres' Opening Day starter recorded a 3.44 ERA while healthy, though his 4.30 xERA and 4.42 FIP weren't quite as optimistic about his limited workload.

Nevertheless, he remained an elite contact-manager, living in the 84th percentile in exit velocity allowed. That's a skill that tends to age well, so if King's health checks out, handing him a longer-term deal, even at 30 years old, shouldn't be a terrifying proposition.

Then again, the Padres aren't exactly working with a lot of wiggle room this winter. The prospect of a franchise sale looms over every decision, and there is legitimate concern that the next owners won't spend quite as freely as the late Peter Seidler did.

Things have gotten so bad that there are rumblings that the team could consider trading ace Nick Pivetta this offseason.

If that happens, there's really no telling what direction the Padres may take. A rotation led by King and Pivetta could makes serious noise in the NL West, especially if the offense wakes up behind big seasons from Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill.

But even if the Padres can't afford a new contract for King, trading Pivetta isn't the right answer. The team needs more reliability in the rotation, not less.