The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal said teams believe Michael King remains “in play” for trades this offseason.
We already know that the Padres are debating trading Dylan Cease as they look to cut payroll and acquire more cost-controlled, long-term assets; however, Rosenthal also mentions that King is another starter who other teams believe could be traded. As Rosenthal noted, King asked for $8.8 million in arbitration and the Padres offered $7.325 million, so a hearing appears likely. This upcoming season will also be King’s last season before free agency, so if the Padres don’t feel like they have a chance to re-sign him to a longer-term deal, they could look to move him now while his return value would be highest.