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The San Diego Padres will have some tough decisions to make this upcoming offseason.
The starting rotation specifically will be under a microscope. That's because both Dylan Cease and Michael King could both head to free agency this offseason. Cease is going to be an unrestricted free agent and the King and the Padres have a mutual option for the 2026 season.
With the way that King is pitching this season, it wouldn't be a shock at all to see him enter the open market and land a massive deal.
ESPN's Jeff Passan shared a column on Tuesday talking about potential price tags for stars heading to the open market over the next few years and had Cease and King both in the category to land $100 million deals or higher.
"Michael King, SP, San Diego Padres: Two years ago, King was a reliever for the New York Yankees," Passan said. "Now he's the best pitcher in the class. King's sinker and slider have elite movement, and his command of his four-pitch arsenal is exceptional. He strikes out oodles of hitters, maintains his velocity and could wind up with a bigger deal in free agency than his teammate with flashier stuff who's listed next on this list.
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"Dylan Cease, SP, San Diego Padres: Cease has long been considered the gem of a strong crop of starters scheduled to hit free agency after this season, and it's easy to see why. His slider is a weapon. His fastball sits at 97 mph. The stuff is nasty. But he never has been able to avoid walks, and that will scare away some suitors. Cease is much better than the 5.61 ERA he currently sports (a 3.34 FIP portends better results) and he should get a five-plus-year deal, but $200 million-plus is probably out of reach because of the free passes."
Will either end up being back?
More MLB: Padres projected $182 million ace sends message on joining Yankees
Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sportswriting across baseball, football and basketball. He has provided coverage for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Philadelphia Eagles and Boston Celtics throughout his career.
Outside of journalism, Patrick also has received a Masters of Business Administration Degree from Brandeis University and studied communication and business at Merrimack College where he earned his Bachelor's Degree.
English (US)