Padres Pitcher Michael King Turned Down a $22 Million Offer—Then Signed For $75 Million Instead

Michael King had a pretty rough 2025. The 30-year-old right-handed pitcher started the season off well for the San Diego Padres. He won his first three games, including a two-hit, complete game shutout of the Colorado Rockies. But he'd only win one of his next nine appearances—and that stretch included a nearly three month break as he recovered from a knee injury and nerve damage in his throwing shoulder.

Upon his return, King still displayed enough potential to keep the Padres interested in him. And that's paid off: The two sides agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract extension.

King ended 2025 with a 5-3 record, posting a 3.44 ERA and striking out 76 batters in 73⅓ innings. The Padres are certainly hoping he returns to his 2024 form, when he had 201 strikeouts and a 2.95 ERA in 173⅔ innings, posting a 3.9 Wins Above Replacement rating and finishing seventh in National League Cy Young Award voting.

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The overall contract value is the third-highest for a pitcher in Padres history. Only Yu Darvish ($108 million) and Joe Musgrove ($100 million) have had larger deals.

It's a nice little raise for King, too. The Padres had tendered him an offer worth $22.025 million. However, he turned that down in hopes of a more lucrative deal. Though his average annual salary has a modest increase—$25 million compared to just over $22 million—he's got long-term security.

Now, the goal is to help the Padres get over the hump and reach the World Series. The team has had four winning seasons in a row, reaching the postseason in three of them. But after an NLCS appearance in 2022, the Padres have faltered in the NLDS (2024) and NL Wild Card (2025). Equally as disheartening, San Diego has watched its intrastate rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, win the World Series in both of the past two seasons.

We're still a long ways off from Opening Day, but that's the thrill of the baseball offseason. Moves like this generate plenty of excitement. When it all comes together on the field, that's when the game is at its most magical.