The Padres may be waiting on a lot of unknowns this offseason, but one thing is already clear: their rotation has two arms drawing serious attention on the free-agent market.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com put together his top 10 free agents for this winter, and San Diego landed twice on the list. Michael King checked in at No. 2, while Casey Mize came in at No.
- The broader backdrop is messy, too, with no clear picture yet of what the MLB offseason will look like because of the looming Collective Bargaining Agreement situation and the talk of a long strike that could push back the start of the 2027 season.
Feinsand’s full list featured Tarik Skubal, Michael King, Randy Arozarena, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Seiya Suzuki, Brandon Lowe, Clay Holmes, Casey Mize, Nick Martinez, and Luis Arraez. That also means a couple of former Padres, Martinez and Arraez, were included as well.
King is the bigger name of the two, and his contract situation explains why he’s so high on the board. He signed a three-year, $75 million deal last offseason that includes options, and Feinsand noted that he could wind up back in free agency almost immediately.
As Feinsand wrote, "King would earn $28 million in 2027 and $30 million in 2028 if he plays out the contract, but given his strong, healthy season (3.38 ERA in 26 starts), there’s a strong possibility that he opts out, taking the $5 million buyout with the goal of securing a longer-term deal on the open market. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2024, King has a 3.20 ERA in 72 games (71 starts)."
King’s 2025 season hasn’t been spotless. Injuries limited him to just 15 starts, but he’s still logged 27 starts this year and is sitting at 8-9 with a 3.32 ERA over 156 innings. That total is only 17 innings shy of his career high.
Mize arrived in San Diego much later, coming over from the Detroit Tigers at this year’s trade deadline. His Padres tenure has been brief - just four starts - and it has already had some ups and downs.
He was tagged for eight runs in his first outing, then bounced back with a two-run start and a six-inning shutout performance. His most recent appearance came on August 22, when he gave up four runs in 2.2 innings before leaving with an injured ankle.
Even with the uneven run, Feinsand pointed to the traits that make Mize appealing. "Mize’s elite command - he ranks in the 86th percentile in walk percentage -- makes up for his middle-of-the-road strikeout numbers (48th percentile in strikeout percentage), and unlike some of the other starters in this year’s free agent class, Mize won’t turn 30 until next May," Feinsand wrote.
So while the league waits for more clarity on the 2027 season, the Padres already have two pitchers who should be in demand when teams start spending. And if San Diego’s new ownership decides to open the wallet, that could make this situation even more interesting.
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