Padres re-sign pitcher Michael King to 3-year contract with 2 player options

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Michael King is staying with the San Diego Padres.

The right-hander signed a three-year contract that includes two player options allowing him to become a free agent again after each of the next two seasons. The team announced the deal Friday.

Media reports said King will receive $75 million in salary from 2026-28 if he doesn’t opt out of the contract.

King, who turns 31 in May, went 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA in 15 starts for the Padres last season. He missed time on the injured list with a pinched nerve in his right shoulder and then later with left knee inflammation.

San Diego lost frontline starter Dylan Cease to Toronto in free agency this month, and Yu Darvish is likely to miss the entire 2026 season following elbow surgery. King, however, rejoins a rotation that also features Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove, who is expected back from Tommy John surgery.

King rejected a $22,025,000 qualifying offer from the Padres last month. They acquired him from the Yankees in the December 2023 trade that sent Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to New York.

In two seasons as a member of San Diego’s rotation, King is 18-12 with a 3.10 ERA. He made 30 starts and one relief appearance in 2024, going 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA.

King was primarily a reliever with the Yankees. He is 31-29 with a 3.24 ERA and seven saves in 161 games (64 starts) over seven major league seasons with New York and San Diego.

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