The San Diego Padres face a crucial offseason after Mike Shildt’s retirement and years of prospect depletion from AJ Preller’s aggressive trades. The front office needs to get creative with their free agent approach this winter.
Two of their biggest decisions involve starting pitchers Michael King and Dylan Cease, both hitting the open market. But according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, these guys are looking at vastly different paydays.
McDaniel projects Cease landing a five-year, $145 million deal despite his inconsistent 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, King is pegged for three years and $57 million.
That’s nearly a $100 million gap, but it makes sense when you dig into the details.
King’s injury history looms large here. Missing roughly half the 2024 season raises red flags about his durability, something teams factor heavily into long-term investments. Cease, whatever his on-field struggles, has stayed healthy.
What’s interesting is King might actually benefit from a shorter deal. A one-year prove-it contract with an opt-out could let him rebuild his market value if he can show he’s past the injury concerns.
Both pitchers are 30 years old with their share of ups and downs. The difference is teams won’t throw nine-figure deals at guys they can’t count on to take the ball every fifth day.
From where I’m sitting, the Padres bringing back King on a shorter deal seems way more realistic than matching whatever Cease gets on the open market. Then again, Preller’s made his career on moves that catch everyone off guard.
The way things are shaping up, Cease is positioned for the bigger payday while King might need to bet on himself for one more year. That injury history is going to follow him until he proves it’s behind him.
