Want an ace, but don’t want to spend the $300-400 million it may cost to sign Tarik Skubal? Meet Michael King.
The San Diego Padres’ star right-hander recently opted out of the final two seasons of a three-year deal, putting an All-Star-caliber, top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher on the open market. Since becoming a full-time starter for the San Diego Padres in 2024, King has been one of the best right-handers and starting pitchers altogether in the sport.
Here are the three best free agent fits for the 31-year-old King should he depart San Diego:
Athletics
Enough is enough: The Athletics need to make a sizable investment in their starting rotation.
One season after sporting a collective 4.70 ERA, the A’s starting rotation surrendered the most home runs in MLB (150) in 2026, while being 29th in ERA (5.61), WHIP (1.50) and opponent batting average (.272) and giving up the fourth-most walks in the sport (338). The lone bright spot was J.T. Ginn, who posted a 3.71 ERA and 3.4 wins above replacement over 138 ⅓ innings pitched (24 starts, 27 appearances).
To recap: A lot of help is needed on this front.
Two seasons after posting a 2.95 ERA and posting 201 strikeouts in 2024, King recorded a 3.21 ERA, a 127 ERA+ and 4.3 wins above replacement over 185 innings pitched in 32 starts in 2026. King pitches deep into games, evades damage and would give the A’s a much-needed rotation anchor in his prime. Plus, veteran Jeffrey Springs, who has made 59 starts for the A’s since 2025, is a free agent.
While their bats collectively underwhelmed last season, the Athletics still have a compelling positional core highlighted by Tyler Soderstrom, Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers and Jacob Wilson, among others. In 2025, they were fifth in the sport in hits, seventh in home runs and slugging percentage and eighth in OPS.
Yes, the A’s won just 64 games. At the same time, the Houston Astros won the American League West at 81-81 and were swept by the Chicago White Sox in the Wild Card Series. With mere middle-of-the-pack starting pitching, the A’s can make a run at the division, and signing King would be a major step in that direction.
So, why aren’t the A’s the No. 1 fit for King? For starters, he fits any team that needs an ace. The other reason is there are just teams closer to contending than them.
Houston Astros
The pixie dust is running low on the Astros’ mystique; King would breathe needed fire into their club.
After an impressive regular season, King was spectacular for the Padres in the playoffs, surrendering just one run over 14 innings pitched, which included coming out of the bullpen to get the final six outs of the team’s Game 3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Division Series, which extended San Diego’s season another day.
King, who consistently throws four pitches (sinker, changeup, four-seamer and sweeper) while mixing in a slider, has been money in the postseason, with the right-hander boasting a career 1.86 ERA and an 0.76 WHIP over 29 combined innings pitched. He’d be a lifesaver for an Astros’ starting rotation that surrendered the most walks in the sport last season (378), while being 27th in ERA (4.81) and WHIP (1.40).
Now, Houston does have 2025 All-Star Hunter Brown (3.19 ERA in 20 starts in 2026), and Peter Lambert is coming off a respectable season (3.82 ERA in 29 starts). At the same time, Tatsuya Imai struggled in his first MLB season (4.93 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP in 15 starts and 23 appearances), with Mike Burrows doing the same in his first season with the Astros (5.99 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP in 17 starts, 18 appearances). Meanwhile, Cristian Javier continues to be held back by elbow and shoulder injuries, with elbow issues also limiting Hayden Wesneski.
Either way, the Astros — whose offense led MLB with 226 home runs in 2026 — need another healthy starter, with a starter of King’s ilk boosting their chances of contending in an AL that had just two teams win 90-plus games last season (the AL-champion Tampa Bay Rays won 98 games, and the New York Yankees won 93 games).
All that said, there’s a team that needs King slightly more, and it’s the club that sent the Astros home in the AL Wild Card Series.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox are on the rise, but they need veteran enhancements across the board, and that starts at the top of their rotation.
King would be the undisputed ace and most proven starting pitcher in Chicago’s starting rotation, providing a needed lift to a unit that was 26th in ERA (4.60) and tied for 24th in WHIP (1.34). Moreover, their starting staff was last in innings pitched in the regular season (674 ⅔) and manager Will Venable only got 17 ⅔ innings from starting pitchers/openers across the team’s seven postseason games.
How is that last note even possible?
On the bright side, right-hander Sean Burke (3.34 ERA and 4.2 wins above replacement across 27 starts and 32 appearances in 2026) looks like a future All-Star and left-hander Davis Martin (3.95 ERA in 28 starts, 29 appearances) has shown promise. Add King to their rotation, and the White Sox have their veteran leader.
Chicago has a power-heavy offense (the White Sox, who have a budding offensive core that includes infielders Miguel Vargas, Munteka Murakami and Chase Meidroth, were fifth in both runs scored and home runs last season), while the aforementioned Burke and Martin look like long-term rotation shoo-ins. Now, Chicago needs to get the proven commodities to complement both units.
The White Sox had the Cleveland Guardians on the ropes in the AL Division Series, winning the first two games of the series in Cleveland before losing three consecutive games and the series altogether. Better starting pitching likely would’ve punched the White Sox a ticket to the AL Championship Series (Cleveland scored nine runs in both Game 3 and 4).
Adding King would arguably make Chicago the best team in the AL Central.
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