Michael King Re-Ups with Padres on $75M Deal, Spurning Red Sox Interest
Another top arm is off the board-and this one won’t be heading to Boston.
Right-hander Michael King has agreed to a three-year, $75 million deal to stay with the San Diego Padres, opting for stability on the West Coast over a potential homecoming with the Red Sox. The deal, which includes opt-outs after each season, was finalized after King passed his physical.
This one stings a bit for Boston, especially after reports suggested there was “strong interest” from both sides. King, a Rhode Island native, had been on the Red Sox’s radar as they continue searching for reliable rotation help. But in the end, the Padres stepped up with a contract that offers both security and flexibility.
Let’s break it down: King will earn a $5 million salary in 2026, along with a $12 million signing bonus. The structure gets creative from there.
If he chooses to opt out after the first year, he still walks away with a $5 million buyout. If he stays, he can opt into a $28 million salary in 2027 and $30 million in 2028.
That kind of financial upside-paired with the chance to keep building in San Diego-was likely too good to pass up.
King’s journey to this payday has been anything but linear. After spending most of his early career in the bullpen with the Yankees, he made a late-season transition to the rotation in 2023-and it clicked.
In nine starts to close out that season, he posted a 2.23 ERA, flashing the kind of command and pitch mix that made evaluators take notice. The Padres clearly did, acquiring him as part of the blockbuster Juan Soto trade.
That move to the rotation became permanent in 2024, and King responded with a breakout campaign: 2.95 ERA, 201 strikeouts, and 173 2/3 innings pitched. He was efficient, durable, and flat-out nasty when he needed to be. Through April 2025, he was even better-sporting a 2.09 ERA before a shoulder injury hit the brakes.
Injuries were a theme in 2025. After missing time in May, he returned in August to pitch two innings against the Red Sox-yes, the team that wanted him-before knee inflammation sidelined him again.
He made it back for a few starts down the stretch, but it was a mixed bag. One rough outing ballooned his ERA, yet he still closed the year with a 3.44 ERA over 73 1/3 innings.
For the Padres, re-signing King is a big win. When healthy, he’s proven he can be a frontline starter.
For Boston, it’s another near-miss in a free-agent market that’s moving fast. The Sox have been linked to multiple arms this offseason, and King looked like a natural fit-local ties, rotational upside, and a strong finish to his Yankees tenure.
But the Padres didn’t let him get away. They’re betting that King’s best is still ahead-and they’re paying him like a guy who can anchor their rotation for years to come.