There have been rumblings that the San Diego Padres were listening to trade offers for both their top starting pitchers, Michael King and Dylan Cease.
King recently reached an agreement with the Padres for a new contract, avoiding arbitration. King's deal is worth $7.75 million in 2025 with a $15 million mutual option in 2026.
FanSided's Robert Murray recently revealed he sees a few flaws in the idea that the Padres will trade King, especially following the right-hander's new contract.
"But King and the Padres have reached an agreement on a contract for the 2025 season, the team announced. The breakdown of the contract, according to sources, is King gets a $3 million signing bonus and a $1 million salary for 2025 that includes a $15 million mutual option for 2026 with a large buyout," Murray wrote. "He is guaranteed $7.75 million, including a $3.75 million buyout if the mutual option is not exercised, and the contract could reach $8 million with incentives. The structure of the contract would seem to suggest that the Padres are more likely to hold onto King rather than Cease.
"A trade involving King, however, should not be entirely discounted. But if the Padres were looking to move King, why would they structure the deal the way they did? It signals that the team is trying to find a way to fit his salary onto the payroll, which is dealing with many constraints this offseason."
Murray is absolutely correct in his assessment.
Giving King the mutual option indicates the team likely believes they can find room in the payroll to keep him through 2026.
This could also be a play to increase his trade value a bit. There's a big difference between a one-year rental and a player who could play two seasons with a team. King's trade value increased because of the mutual option, though it likely isn't by much.
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