Overview
- Multiple outlets report King will return to San Diego on a three-year pact with opt-outs after 2026 and 2027, though the team has not announced the deal.
- The structure includes a $12 million signing bonus, $5 million salary for 2026, a $28 million salary in 2027 with a $5 million buyout if he opts out, and $30 million in 2028 with no buyout.
- King posted a 2.95 ERA with 201 strikeouts in 2024, then made 15 starts in 2025 with a 3.44 ERA while dealing with a right-shoulder nerve issue and a knee injury.
- He declined a $22.025 million qualifying offer in November, so re-signing involves no draft-pick compensation for either side.
- The reported reunion bolsters a rotation that lost Dylan Cease and will be without Yu Darvish in 2026, and it takes a coveted starter off the market for the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Orioles and Cubs.