Padres unlikely to extend key pitcher’s contract: report

One player San Diego Padres could consider negotiating a long-term deal with this winter’s starting pitcher Michael King, who faces a significant raise in his final year of arbitration eligibility.

While the Padre interested in keeping King and he has developed a strong attachment to San Diego, the chances of them agreeing to a multi-year contract soon seem slim.

The 29-year-old King, who is projected to make between $8 million and $11 million in 2025, could make more than $20 million annually on a long-term deal in 2026 if he continues his strong 2024 season (30 starts, 2, 95 ERA). with another solid performance.

King made history as the first Major League Baseball pitcher to strike out 12 batters without allowing a run or a walk in his postseason debut. This was exactly the kind of performance the Padres were hoping for when they traded for him, despite the fact that he never played a full season as a starting pitcher.

King entered spring training with the goal of throwing 180 innings. However, Ruben Niebla, known for his experience and open-minded approach, suggested that a more realistic goal would be closer to 150 innings, similar to the jump Seth Lugo made from 65 innings with the Mets in 2022 to 146.1 for ” Padres in 2023.

For much of this season, from May to August, the media regularly wondered how long King would be able to start every four or five days, given his inexperience as a starter.

However, King proved to be the most reliable starter in the Padres rotation. It’s been a long road to becoming that guy for San Diego, but he’s grateful it happened.

“In April and May, I didn’t feel like my true self,” King said. “I learned a lot. I gave up a lot of home runs. I walked with many people. And I know it wasn’t me as a pitcher in general. And then everything went wrong.

“There was no thing I could go back to that would make it click. But then I looked back at the June, July run where I felt like I owned almost every one of my pitches. Every time I went out there I felt like I was already six years old. I gave the team a chance to win every match. And I talked to Ruben (Niebla) about it and said, “Wow, I just quit the game.” where I was a real starter back then.” Instead of trying to figure out what pitches were working that day, what pitches I needed to go to, I was thinking, “I have my strengths, I know the hitter’s weaknesses, and I’m just going to go out there and give our team the best chance to win.” “