Padres Could Shockingly Trade Michael King: Report

Oct 1, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King (34) walks off the field after the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves in game one of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Oct 1, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King (34) walks off the field after the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves in game one of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
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The San Diego Padres have been eerily quiet this winter, but the team is expected to make a trade ahead of the 2025 season. While there have been a number of Friars who have emerged as potential trade candidates, none have been more shocking than the most recent, starting pitcher Michael King.

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The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported King could be traded by San Diego. He also mentions Dylan Cease, who emerged as a trade candidate early in the offseason, in his report. Both King and Cease are heading into their final year of arbitration control.

"One reason the open market remains clogged is that teams continue to discuss trades," Rosenthal wrote. "The Seattle Mariners’ Luis Castillo and San Diego Padres’ Dylan Cease and Michael King, for example, are among the starting pitchers who remain in play (King asked for $8.8 million in arbitration and the Padres offered $7.325 million; a hearing appears likely)."

There are several starters remaining on the free agent market, and one reason for the stall seems to be due to the trade talks transpiring between clubs. Some notable starting pitchers who haven't been signed include Jack Flaherty, Max Scherzer, Nick Pivetta, and Jose Quintana.

It was always known the Padres were working with less financial flexibility this offseason, but this is the first mention of King in trade talks.

In 2024, King produced a 2.95 ERA with a 13-9 record. He punched 201 strikeouts across 173.2 innings pitched. King made two postseason starts for the Padres, sporting a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings.

The Padres have several needs to address this winter, including the rotation. But there may be more pressing needs at left field and catcher, hence King's emergence as a trade candidate.

President of baseball operations A.J. Preller said the team had received several calls about some players at the Winter Meetings, but nothing ever lined up. The stillness of San Diego's offseason has been unnerving for Padres fans, but a trade seems imminent.

“We’ve seen offseasons where we’ve been really aggressive and been able to line up on moves early in the offseason and other years, like last year, where it was later in the process,” Preller said, viaKevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. “… We’ve got a really good core and good foundation we like a lot, and we’ve got some needs as well.”

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