Padres Unlikely to Reach Extension With Key Pitcher: Report

Maren Angus-Coombs | Nov 8, 2024

Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

One player the San Diego Padres could consider discussing a long-term deal with this winter is starting pitcher Michael King, who’s in line for a significant raise in his final year of arbitration eligibility.

While the Padres are interested in keeping King and he’s developed a strong attachment to San Diego, the chances of them agreeing on a multi-year contract soon seem slim.

The 29-year-old King, projected to earn between $8 million and $11 million in 2025, could command upwards of $20 million annually on a long-term deal in 2026 if he follows up his strong 2024 season (30 starts, 2.95 ERA) with another solid performance.

King made history as the first pitcher in Major League Baseball to strike out 12 batters without allowing a run or a walk in his postseason debut. It was the kind of performance the Padres hoped for when they traded for him, despite the fact that he had never completed a full season as a starting pitcher.

King came into spring training aiming to pitch 180 innings. However, Ruben Niebla, known for his expertise and open-minded approach, suggested that a more realistic goal was closer to 150 innings, similar to the jump Seth Lugo made from 65 innings with the Mets in 2022 to 146.1 for the Padres in 2023.

For much of this season, from May to August, the media regularly questioned how long King could sustain making starts every four or five days, given his inexperience as a full-time starter.

However, King proved to be the most reliable starter in the Padres' rotation. It was a long road for him to arrive at being that guy for San Diego but he's grateful it happened.

“I felt like I was not my true self in April and May,” King said. “I was learning a lot of things. I was giving up a lot of home runs. I was walking a lot of people. And I know that that just wasn’t me as a pitcher in general. And then things started to click.

"It wasn’t like there was one thing that I could go back to that made it click. But I then looked back at June, July-ish run where I felt like I had command of almost every one of my pitches. Every time I went out there, I felt like I was going six. I was giving the team a chance to win every outing. And I talked to Ruben (Niebla) about it, and I was like, ‘Wow, I just got on a stretch where I then was like a true starter.’ Instead of trying to find myself trying to figure out what pitches are working that day, what pitches I need to go to, it was like, ‘I have my strengths, I know the hitter’s weaknesses, and I’m just going out there and give our team the best chance to win.’”