Michael King: $75 million to stay in San Diego

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Michael King: $75 million to stay in San Diego
Credit: Credit: Blue Jays Insider

For weeks, Michael King had been expected to leave the Padres.

We knew that three teams from the American League East (Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles) were among the finalists for his services. The Mets were also in the running.

And since the guy played for the Yankees and hails from the Boston area, seeing him return with a club that practices in Florida made sense.

But despite his interest in returning to his neck of the woods, and the fact that the Padres are clearly trimming the fat, AJ Preller found a way to keep his starting pitcher, who had been acquired from the Bombardiers for Juan Soto, in California.

According to Jeff Passan, King signed a three-year contract with the Padres, a club that really needed a quality starter. If he stays for three years, he'll earn $75 million, or about $25 million a year.

King has exit options after the 2026 and 2027 seasons. So basically, three years from now, he can become a free agent again whenever he feels like it. And if he has a bad year, he stays on at a high price.

It's an attractive contract. But he hasn't found anything longer-term… and obviously chose to sign before other, bigger dominoes fall on the market.

Tatsuya Imai, Ranger Suarez, and Framber Valdez are pitchers who should theoretically earn more than $75 million on their next contract. Did the King unwittingly create a sense of urgency among some clubs by signing such a contract with the Padres?

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This content was created with the help of AI.

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