San Diego, California: Michael King Opts Out of Padres Contract and Becomes a Free Agent
The right-hander declined his player option on Thursday, taking a $5 million buyout instead of a $28 million salary for 2027, MLB.com reported via Reuters. King, 31, went 1-0 with a 0.64 ERA for San Diego in this month's postseason.
Key points
- San Diego's offseason began with a hole in the rotation.
- King had two seasons left on a three-year, $75 million contract, with a player option in each of the remaining seasons.
- King was one of San Diego's best pitchers in this month's postseason.
San Diego's offseason began with a hole in the rotation. Right-hander Michael King declined the player option on his Padres contract on Thursday and became a free agent, MLB.com reported in a report carried by Reuters. King, 31, chose a $5 million buyout over a return at a $28 million salary for 2027. Insider Jon Heyman reported the decision on Thursday morning and wrote that King would be one of the most coveted players on the free agent market.
King had two seasons left on a three-year, $75 million contract, with a player option in each of the remaining seasons. Staying would have paid him $28 million in 2027, and his 2028 option was worth $30 million, so the decision leaves $58 million in option years behind in exchange for a chance to test the open market this winter. He joins a free agent pitching class that is expected to be headlined by left-hander Tarik Skubal, Reuters reported. The news broke on Thursday morning, hours after the World Series ended and Major League Baseball's offseason officially opened.
What San Diego is losing, for now
King was one of San Diego's best pitchers in this month's postseason. He went 1-0 with a 0.64 ERA in three appearances, two of them starts. He gave up one hit over seven innings while beating the Chicago Cubs in the National League wild-card series. Against Milwaukee in the Division Series, he allowed one run on three hits over more than five innings in Game 2, then came back two days later and recorded a 40-pitch, two-inning save in Game 3 to help the Padres win that game as well.
He finished the 2026 regular season with a 3.21 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 185 innings. Across his time with San Diego he is 30-22 with a 3.15 ERA in 78 appearances, 77 of them starts. The Padres acquired King from the New York Yankees in December 2023, in the trade that sent Juan Soto to New York.
A return is not ruled out. Jim Bowden of The Athletic listed the Padres and the New York Mets as the two best fits for King in free agency, Heavy reported, and San Diego can bid for him on the open market like any other club. Until a deal is done somewhere, though, the Padres are planning their 2027 rotation without one of the starters who carried them through October.
Timeline
- Dec 2023San Diego acquires Michael King from the New York Yankees in the trade that sends Juan Soto to New York.
- Oct 2026King goes 1-0 with a 0.64 ERA in three postseason appearances for the Padres, including seven one-hit innings against the Chicago Cubs in the wild-card series and a two-inning save against Milwaukee in the Division Series.
- Oct 29, 2026King declines his player option, takes a $5 million buyout instead of a $28 million salary for 2027, and becomes a free agent.