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With pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training in just a couple weeks, there's still plenty left to sort out in the MLB offseason — and the San Diego Padres are at the center of a lot of it.
One of the reasons for what The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal calls a “clogged market” is that there are a lot of trade chips still on the board. The Padres were already reportedly discussing trading Dylan Cease. Now, Michael King appears to be a potential trade chip as well, according to Rosenthal.
King, who came to the Padres from the New York Yankees in the Juan Soto trade last winter, posted a standout first season as a full-time starter. In 30 starts, he struck out 201 batters, had a 2.95 ERA and allowed almost 30 fewer hits than innings pitched. He finished seventh in National League Cy Young voting.
Cease was similarly stellar. Though he had a higher ERA (3.47) over 33 starts, he struck out 224 batters with a 1.067 WHIP. He also had career-lows in walk rate (8.5%) and hard hit rate (38.7%). That's more in line with Cease's career numbers, rather than a lackluster 2023 season with the Chicago White Sox.
Assessing Padres pitcher Michael King's trade value
If the Padres manage to trade King, they will likely receive a major haul for him, even if they could land a bigger package by dealing Cease.
King's 2025 salary is still to be determined with Rosenthal reporting he asked for $8.8 million and the Padres offered $7.325 million. He says the two sides are likely headed for arbitration. Regardless of what the final number ends up being, however, it's still below market rate relative to his skill set. As Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors noted, Alex Cobb and Justin Verlander — two pitchers who are much older and with significantly more risk — each landed $15 million deals.
“[The Padres] could theoretically flip King for cheaper but less established players, perhaps addressing one of their many needs while also improving their depth in other areas,” McDonald wrote. “They’d also gain $8 million or so, give or take, to dedicate to other pursuits.”
Even as the calendar flips to February, the Padres still have plenty of holes to fill, including at catcher and in left field. The franchise is saddled with some massive contracts tied to players like Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr., so the chance to add depth while cutting payroll — much like they did last year in the Soto trade — should not be overlooked.
