Micheal King and Dylan Cease are playing the 2025 season, heading into free agency. Which pitcher should the Padres explore extending this winter?

Pitching is key to a successful baseball team.

Especially in the playoffs.

For the Padres, their pitching did its job for the most part in 2024, but the offense failed in the NLDS against the Dodgers. No matter how great your pitching is, you still need to score a run to win the game. The offensive funk in the playoffs left a bad taste in the Padres’ mouth. But there is still hope for this team in 2025.

Taking a look at the future, the Padres do have some uncertainty when it comes to their starting staff.

Yu Darvish finished the year with the team, but the veteran battled nagging injuries a few times during the season. Darvish is 38 now and pitching through elbow issues. His future is cloudy at best. When it is all said and done, you know the Japanese right-hander will give it his all. However, the Padres need to be prepared, and the team requires depth in the rotation.

Joe Musgrove already underwent Tommy John surgery and is ruled out for the entire 2025 season. He should be back in 2026, but the Padres will take it slow with the right-handed pitcher.

Dylan Cease and Michael King anchored the rotation last season, making all of their starts during the year.

However, each is a free agent at the end of the season. They will be pitching for a huge contract, and though they will be motivated to perform, the Padres will be hard-pressed to afford anything beyond next season. Some would argue they may be unable to afford either, given the amount of money they have committed to their offensive players.

Matt Waldron, Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito, and Bryan Hoeing provide young pitchers with major-league experience for the rotation. However, each is no guarantee for success.

Micheal King and Dylan Cease are crucial for the Padres in 2025.

Let’s explore the idea of extending King or Cease and decide which would better fit the Padres.

Or maybe the answer is both.

Making a case for Dylan Cease (6 years service time) (57-46 record) 3.75 ERA/1.252 WHIP   847 IP/1,016 K/359 BB

The man who threw the second no-hitter in the history of the San Diego Padres is a competitor.

Cease eats innings, though he does occasionally battle command issues which limit his overall innings production for a season. Throughout his career, he has made his start every fifth day. Cease started 32 games or more in each of the past four seasons. In this day and age, it isn’t easy to find a pitcher who consistently makes his start. His mechanics are simple, and there is no reason to be wary of his arm health moving forward. The right-handed pitcher was touching 98-99 mph late in the year and surely has plenty of life to his fastball.

He will be 29 for the 2025 season and should have plenty left in his tank. It isn’t easy to hand out a long-term deal to a pitcher, but Cease is a safe bet to throw consistently for the next three to four seasons. That will be the issue as his representatives will seek a seven or eight-year deal for the pitcher. Cease is represented by Scott Boras and he will surely only expect top dollar.

If A.J. Preller can possibly front-load his deal, it would be safer in the long run. However, there are serious issues with the Padres and the team’s ability to stay under their budget for the next several years. There are other players like Luis Arraez who are pending free agents. Preller is a creative thinker, and he will need to be in order to keep his current roster intact.

Making a case for Michael King (6 years service time) (26-26 record) 3.20 ERA/1.191 WHIP   421 IP/483 K/146 BB

Michael King blossomed this year into the pitcher he is capable of being.

In his first season as a full-time starting pitcher, King was dominant in stretches. The team had to monitor his innings late in the year, but King was still very effective in September and in the playoffs. There doesn’t seem to be any concern about his arm holding up to the vigors of an entire season. The right-handed pitcher does throw across his body severely which assists the pitcher in deception. But traditionally, that is a red flag. King continues to improve his follow-through, which will help him from making a sudden stop with his pitching arm, resulting in eventual injury.

The Padres love what Michael King brings to the field. He is tough on himself and an excellent teammate. His price tag will likely be lower than Cease’s as he is a year older and hasn’t had Dylan Cease’s track record. The Padres would be wise not to get too heavily invested in King. A two or three-year extension seems feasible for both sides.

It will come down to how much Michael King likes the city of San Diego. He would earn a huge payday next winter with another productive year on the mound. With little constraints on his overall innings, King is due for a huge year in 2025. The Padres can gamble and extend him now at a discount rate. But what is fair, and is King worth a gamble with so many unanswered questions moving forward for the Padres?

The verdict

It will come down to dollars and cents.

Which pitcher will extend at a more favorable rate will have a lot to do with it. The Padres covet Cease’s ability to eat innings, but the expectation is that Michael King is only scratching his potential as a pitcher. With Ruben Niebla’s help, he could be even better moving forward. The same argument could be made for Cease, who is younger than King.

The Padres will likely explore extending these men. With a glaring hole in the rotation beyond 2025, the Padres will need to make a move or two. Expect A.J. Preller to explore bringing in a pitcher this winter via trade or free agency. The Padres will stockpile undervalued arms in the hope they can revitalize their careers at Petco Park.

Both men appear very happy in San Diego, and the Padres may be able to secure both men beyond the 2025 season.

It will take some wizardry with the club’s finances, but anything is possible.

The team will have a busy winter. An extension is possible, but it will come down to timing. Baseball is all about timing, and formulating a roster is very much the same. If the Padres can move some payroll and extend a few players at a discount rate, then more flexibilty will be had to tweak the roster. A.J. Preller and his staff are already hard at work even though the MLB season has not officially ended.

Michael King and Dylan Cease are valuable members of the team moving forward. Where they will be beyond 2025 is anybody’s guess.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.