The San Diego Padres have a starting pitching concern going into the offseason. Dylan Cease will be a free agent, and it is expected that Michael King will opt out of the final year of his contract and test the open market.
Despite some struggles this season, Cease has operated as one of the team’s aces over the last two years. The same can be said for King, so losing both of these guys would greatly hurt.
This would leave Yu Darvish, who is 39 years old and has taken a step back this past season with injuries, to lead the rotation. The front office cannot feel good about him leading the way for the club on the bump and must do something over the winter.
Padres urged to re-sign one of their frontline starters in free agency
Between players like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, this club can be a contender. However, they will only go as far as their pitching will take them.
Re-signing either Cease or King should be one of the team’s priorities over the winter, and Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller agrees.
“Whether they can afford to bring either one back is questionable, but they almost certainly can’t do both, already looking at an Opening Day payroll north of $200 million. They’re also looking at an Opening Day rotation in which Yu Darvish, JP Sears, and Matt Waldron could all be in the mix after making a combined 21 starts with a 5.51 ERA in 2025, so finding some way to keep either Cease or King would be huge in their quest for a fifth postseason appearance in seven years.”
The problem is, they might not be able to afford either one of them. Both have shown their ability to lead a rotation and could be out of San Diego’s price range if another team feels either one of them suits their needs.
