The San Diego Padres may be exploring a sale of the franchise, but you wouldn’t know it from the moves they just made. In a week that raised some eyebrows around the league, the Padres doubled down on talent, bringing back right-hander Michael King on a three-year, $75 million deal and adding Korean infielder Sung-Mun Song on a three-year pact reportedly worth $13 million.
Let’s start with King, who returns to San Diego after showing flashes of real upside last season. His new deal includes opt-outs after each of the first two years, giving him flexibility-and the Padres a bit of a safety net.
If he performs at a high level in 2026, he could hit the market again, which would effectively turn this into a one-year deal. That’s a calculated risk by San Diego, especially considering King turned down a qualifying offer earlier this offseason.
That rejection meant any team signing him would’ve had to forfeit draft capital and international bonus pool money-a deterrent for some front offices. But the Padres, clearly, were willing to bet on his upside.
And that upside is real. King posted a 3.44 ERA in 15 starts last season, despite missing significant time with a knee injury and a nerve issue in his shoulder.
When healthy, he’s shown the ability to miss bats, command the zone, and give a rotation some much-needed depth. San Diego’s rotation, in particular, needed that help.
With Yu Darvish sidelined for the 2025 season and Joe Musgrove working his way back from Tommy John surgery, the Padres are counting on Nick Pivetta to lead the staff. That’s a big ask.
They also watched Dylan Cease head north to Toronto earlier this offseason, and over the past few years, they’ve seen a steady stream of starters walk out the door-Blake Snell, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, and now Cease. So bringing King back into the fold wasn’t just a luxury-it was a necessity.
But the Padres didn’t stop there.
They also made a move that could pay off in a big way down the line, signing Sung-Mun Song from the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes. Song’s deal includes a $2.6 million posting fee paid to his former club, and he arrives in MLB with a solid track record of production in Korea. Last season, he posted a .917 OPS with 26 homers and 90 RBIs over 574 plate appearances-numbers that jump off the page, even when adjusted for league context.
Over nine seasons in the KBO, Song has put together a .283/.347/.431 slash line, with a strong 10.2% walk rate and a manageable 15.4% strikeout rate. His .148 ISO suggests there’s legitimate pop in the bat, especially for a left-handed hitter who profiles as a versatile infielder. The Kiwoom Heroes have become something of a pipeline to MLB in recent years, producing players like Jung Hoo Lee, Ha-Seong Kim, and Hyeseong Kim-so Song’s transition will be watched closely.
For a team that wasn’t expected to be a major player this winter, San Diego’s moves signal something else entirely. These aren’t the actions of a franchise looking to hit pause. Even with the looming uncertainty of a potential sale, the Padres are making calculated investments-short-term flexibility with King, international upside with Song.
In a division where the Dodgers are loading up and the Giants are reshaping their roster, the Padres are reminding everyone they’re still here to compete. Whether this is a bridge to a larger rebuild or the foundation of a new core, one thing’s clear: San Diego isn’t standing still.