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The San Diego Padres gave Michael King a way out.
In the contract he signed this offseason, King doesn't actually have to stay with San Diego longer than this season.
If he wants to, he'll have two years and $58 million remaining on the deal. It's a $5 million buyout to opt out at the end of the 2026 season, though.
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The New York Yankees were rumored to bring King back this offseason before he returned to San Diego. Anything that happens next with King will bear watching.
MLB Trade Rumors' Darragh McDonald pointed out the opt-out possibility in a new article, pointing out that King nearly had a much bigger contract but was backed into this deal by some injuries.
"Due to that unimpressive finish, he seemed likely to get a short-term deal with opt-outs, and that indeed came to pass," McDonald writes. "The Friars brought him back with a three-year deal worth $75MM. It’s a bit backloaded, a team preference since the Padres have been working with some payroll restrictions. King gets a $12MM signing bonus, $4MM annually, but he’ll get all of that even if he opts out. It’s a $5MM salary in the first season and then a $5MM buyout if he walks. Then there’s a $28MM salary in 2027 and $30MM for the final season."
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King is healthy so far this season -- but it's also a long season.
Both the Padres and the rest of baseball will be watching closely. If King is at his best, a new home may come sooner rather than later.
"He was pitching like an ace a year ago and was on a path to something well over $100MM," McDonald writes. "Even with the injuries, he almost got to nine figures. Through three starts, he has a 3.24 ERA. His 22.1% strikeout rate and 11.8% walk rate aren’t amazing but it’s a very small sample size."
There are only so many aces. King has the potential to be one of them.
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