The Padres would love to keep Michael King in San Diego, but the expectation here is that the right-hander will land somewhere else this winter.
King just put together another strong season and then backed it up in October. He was the centerpiece of the Padres’ 8-0 Game 1 win over the Cubs in the National League Wild Card Series, carving through Chicago with 6.1 no-hit innings in a seven-inning outing that included eight strikeouts and three walks. San Diego went on to sweep the Cubs and then took a game from the eventual World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Division Series.
Chicago, though, is the team being linked to him now. The Cubs were held to just eight hits and one run in the series, and Pete Crow-Armstrong, the soon-to-be NL Most Valuable Player and Platinum Glove winner, didn’t record a hit. Even with that ugly postseason showing, the Cubs are expected to shop for pitching help, and King fits the bill.
The 31-year-old finished his postseason with a 0.64 ERA and 15 strikeouts over 14 innings pitched. After declining his player option and opting out of the three-year, $75 million deal he signed last offseason, he’s headed back into free agency.
San Diego would need to make a serious push to keep him at the front of the rotation, but the prediction here is that the Padres won’t get it done. Instead, King is projected to join the same team he shut down so effectively in the Wild Card Series.
Chicago has several free agents on the market, including a number of starting pitchers, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer is expected to make a strong run at King. Hoyer tried to sign him last offseason, but King chose to stay in San Diego on a deal that put him in position for this moment.
King’s regular season was just as impressive. He made a career-high 32 starts, went 12-10, and posted a 3.21 ERA with 159 strikeouts and 70 walks over a career-best 185 innings pitched in 2026.
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