San Diego Padres, pitcher Michael King agree to $75M contract
by Alex Butler · UPIDec. 19 (UPI) -- The San Diego Padres and right-handed pitcher Michael King agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract.
Sources told MLB.com, The Athletic and ESPN about the agreement Friday night. The pact includes a $28 million player option -- or $5 million buyout -- for 2027 and $30 million player option for 2028.
King, 30, went 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA over 15 starts for the Padres last season, while limited by knee and shoulder issues. He went 31-29 with a 3.24 ERA over the first 161 appearances of his career.
The 6-foot-3 pitcher, who has worked in starting and relief roles, was a 12th-round pick by the Miami Marlins in the 2016 MLB Draft. The Marlins traded King to the New York Yankees in 2017. The Yankees traded King to the Padres in 2023 as part of their six-player deal to acquire All-Star outfielder Juan Soto.
King won a career-high 13 games, with a 2.95 ERA over 31 appearances in 2024, his first season with the Padres. He also threw a career-high 201 strikeouts that season and finished seventh in National League Cy Young Award voting.
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