Michael King had a reasonably tough 2025. The 30-year-old right-handed pitcher began the season off effectively for the San Diego Padres. He received his first three video games, together with a two-hit, full recreation shutout of the Colorado Rockies. However he’d solely win certainly one of his subsequent 9 appearances—and that stretch included a virtually three month break as he recovered from a knee damage and nerve injury in his throwing shoulder.
Upon his return, King nonetheless displayed sufficient potential to maintain the Padres involved in him. And that is paid off: The 2 sides agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract extension.
King ended 2025 with a 5-3 report, posting a 3.44 ERA and putting out 76 batters in 73⅓ innings. The Padres are actually hoping he returns to his 2024 kind, when he had 201 strikeouts and a 2.95 ERA in 173⅔ innings, posting a 3.9 Wins Above Alternative score and ending seventh in Nationwide League Cy Younger Award voting.
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The general contract worth is the third-highest for a pitcher in Padres historical past. Solely Yu Darvish ($108 million) and Joe Musgrove ($100 million) have had bigger offers.
It is a good little elevate for King, too. The Padres had tendered him a suggestion value $22.025 million. Nonetheless, he turned that down in hopes of a extra profitable deal. Although his common annual wage has a modest improve—$25 million in comparison with simply over $22 million—he is acquired long-term safety.
Now, the aim is to assist the Padres recover from the hump and attain the World Sequence. The crew has had 4 profitable seasons in a row, reaching the postseason in three of them. However after an NLCS look in 2022, the Padres have faltered within the NLDS (2024) and NL Wild Card (2025). Equally as disheartening, San Diego has watched its intrastate rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, win the World Sequence in each of the previous two seasons.
We’re nonetheless an extended methods off from Opening Day, however that is the fun of the baseball offseason. Strikes like this generate loads of pleasure. When all of it comes collectively on the sphere, that is when the sport is at its most magical.
