Player News
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King agreed to a one-year contract with the Padres on Thursday that includes player options for 2027 and 2028, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. King had two excellent seasons with the Padres in 2024 and 2025 and passed on a qualifying offer with the team earlier in the offseason, but he'll ultimately remain with San Diego. According to Feinsand, King will make $17 million in 2025 and has another $5 million guaranteed on the buyout for 2027. His player options for 2027 and 2028 are worth $28 million and $30 million, respectively. Assuming King can avoid any lingering issues with his shoulder -- which cost him much of the 2025 season -- he should headline the Padres' rotation in 2026.
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King rejected the Padres' $22.025 million qualifying offer Tuesday, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports. King was limited to 15 regular-season starts in 2025 due to shoulder and knee issues, but it's still not a surprise he elected to turn down the qualifying offer. King posted a 3.44 ERA over 73.1 innings last year and had a 2.95 ERA during his first season as a full-time starter in 2024. Extending the qualifying offer will net the Padres a compensatory draft pick, assuming he doesn't re-sign with the team.
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The Padres extended a one-year, $22.05 million qualifying offer to King on Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports. King will presumably decline the offer and instead pursue a multi-year deal in free agency, and if he signs somewhere other than San Diego, the Padres will receive a compensatory draft pick. The 30-year-old righty is likely to have plenty of suitors this offseason after turning in a 3.44 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 73.1 innings in 2025.
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King declined his side of a $15 million mutual option for the 2026 season Sunday, making him an unrestricted free agent, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Though he endured an injury-plagued 2025 campaign in which he compiled a 3.44 ERA over 73.1 innings and 15 starts before being moved to the bullpen for the Padres' postseason run, King will head to the open market for the first time in search of a multi-year contract. Despite a somewhat concerning health record, King shouldn't have too much trouble securing a big payday in free agency after submitting stellar ratios (3.10 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 18.2 K-BB%) over the past two seasons with San Diego while making the full-time transition to the rotation.
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Padres manager Mike Shildt said Monday that King will be available out of the bullpen for the National League Wild Card Series against the Cubs, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease will start Games 1 and 2, respectively, and Yu Darvish is in line to take the ball in a potential Game 3. King was limited to only five starts from late May on due to shoulder and knee problems, and he posted a 6.11 ERA and 12:9 K:BB over 17.2 innings in those outings. The righty could be added back to the rotation if the Padres advance to the NLDS, but he'll be assigned to the bullpen for the wild-card round.
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Stats
| Year | Team | APP | GS | INN | W | L | S | K | BBI | HA | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | SD | 15 | 15 | 73.3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 76 | 26 | 62 | 3.43 | 1.20 |
| 2024 | SD | 31 | 30 | 173.7 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 201 | 63 | 144 | 2.95 | 1.19 |
Last 7 Games
| DATE | Opp | W | L | S | INN | HA | ERA | BBI | K | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/27 | vs  |
- | - | - | 2.2 | 1 | 5.67 | 2 | 3 | 1.13 |
| 9/21 | @  |
1 | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 6.12 | 4 | 4 | 1.60 |
| 9/16 | @  |
- | 1 | - | 3.0 | 10 | 7.65 | 0 | 2 | 3.33 |
| 9/09 | vs  |
- | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 4.76 | 1 | 2 | 0.80 |
| 8/09 | vs  |
- | - | - | 2.0 | 4 | 5.25 | 2 | 1 | 3.00 |
| 5/18 | vs  |
- | 1 | - | 5.1 | 6 | 4.50 | 1 | 8 | 1.31 |
| 5/12 | vs  |
- | - | - | 5.2 | 4 | 3.60 | 2 | 8 | 1.06 |
Upcoming Games
| date | Opp | time | Scheduled Starter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/26 | vs  |
4:10 PM | Not Announced Yet |
| 3/27 | vs |
9:40 PM | Not Announced Yet |
| 3/28 | vs |
8:40 PM | Not Announced Yet |
| 3/30 | vs  |
9:40 PM | Not Announced Yet |
| 3/31 | vs |
9:40 PM | Not Announced Yet |
| 4/01 | vs |
4:10 PM | Not Announced Yet |
| 4/03 | @ |
12:00 AM | Not Announced Yet |