Michael King mock trade: The Cubs get their ace as the Padres retool for 2027 season.

With the San Diego Padres’ current struggles, they have put themselves in a position where they must be open to any and all trade options. A.J. Preller is always open for business, and it will be interesting to see how he handles this deadline. That means even the Padres’ current ace, Michael King, will be on the board in the coming weeks despite the team’s clear lack of starting pitching.

King’s player option and hefty price tag make him an expendable commodity in a sell situation heading into the final stretch of 2026. There are plenty of true contenders who could easily slot the talented King into a top slot in their rotation and trust him to pitch in their postseason run, where he has thrived in the past.

The skewed league performance makes it difficult to predict who exactly will be buying and selling at the deadline. There are teams in the American League who are below .500 but currently slotted into a playoff position. That being said, the most obvious fit for King lies within the National League up in Chicago.

The Cubs suffered multiple injuries to their rotation to start the season and are still struggling with three of their original starters currently on the IL. The arms they are starting have limited playoff experience and have had their fair share of struggles. The Cubs also have the financial and prospect capital to outbid most teams if they desire King, a player they expressed clear interest in as a free agent this past offseason. 

Padres get three prospects in return for their ace:

Cubs receive: RHP Michael King, RHP Garrett Hawkins (12)

Padres receive: OF Ethan Conrad (4), RHP Brooks Caple (12), and LHP Jordan Wicks

Ethan Conrad

Starting pitching usually comes at a premium during the deadline, and this trade reflects a continuation of that trend. Ethan Conrad is the cubs fourth ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The Cubs 2025 first-round pick was drafted out of Wake Forest as a left-handed, high-floor, reliable outfielder. He is solid all-around, but does not particularly stand out in any specific skillset. The Padres outfield prospects are mostly power guys, so having a more balanced, more mature, on-base producer who could easily slot in left field for the Padres within the next two years makes him a great fit for this system. 

Brooks Caple

A.J. Preller has expressed a fondness for very tall, lanky pitchers over the last couple of years. Brooks Caple certainly fits that bill. A majority of Padres pitching prospects are either too young to be close to getting called up to San Diego or are relievers blocked by baseball’s best bullpen. Caples is soon to be 24 and has performed fairly well at Double-A this season, putting him on track to at least compete for a rotation spot next spring training in a thin system.

His fastball sits in the mid-90’s with great carry and extension. His command of it has improved as well, and the large frame may even leave a little more gas in the tank. He also possesses a cutter, slider, changeup, and curveball, which all have solid spin but shakier command. Although this is just his second season as a pro, his overall command is still a little above his peers, and the stuff competes with the best of them. His inability to generate groundballs makes him far riskier for most organizations that don’t play in Petco Park, so this would be a mutually beneficial change of scenery for the right-hander.

Brooks Caple has been untouchable through his first two starts:
10.2 IP | 1 ER | 0.28 WHIP
16 K | 0 BB | 0.83 BAA

Fastball touched 98 tonight, and his secondaries tunnel extremely well off it. pic.twitter.com/Tvb835cNuj

— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) April 15, 2026

Jordan Wicks

Jordan Wicks is a former top-100 prospect who has gotten worse every year since he was drafted in the first round in 2021. His stuff has shifted year after year, and he has lost significant spin efficiency on his fastball. That being said, the command and velocity are still there, so some work with Rueben Niebla in the lab may be enough to garner the movement he once possessed. Wicks would likely be a reliever in San Diego, but the 26-year-old is very similar to another face already there in Wandy Peralta.

The lefty is not going to blow you away, but his sinker, changeup, and slider combination is certainly enough to generate plenty of groundballs from the left side. As good as the Padres’ bullpen is, it lacks left-handed depth, and a rejuvenated Wicks will fit right in. 

Garrett Hawkins

In order to solidify the deal, the Padres will likely have to throw in one more controllable piece. Garrett Hawkins is a solid, MLB-ready reliever who is clearly blocked in the Padres system. Regardless of whether the Padres are buying or selling this deadline, I see Hawkins moving to a team that needs a young, backend arm (which every team does). Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer may not be comfortable moving the highly touted Conrad for what may be a rental in King, but a controllable arm like Hawkins should be enough to seal the deal.

This will be a fun couple of weeks of baseball as fans, players, and front offices try to figure out which side of the buy/sell line they are on before August 3. Hopefully, it all works out well for the Padres, and they show themselves to be a true postseason threat. Michael King would certainly be missed by fans and teammates alike. But, in the scenario where they disappoint, this trade would help mitigate the pain by better setting up the Friars for another run with their core in 2027 and beyond.

Jacob Larose

Jacob grew up with Padres season tickets and walls plastered with Khalil Greene memorabilia. He has dedicated all of his young professional career towards becoming baseball’s next AJ Preller, having already worked with minor league and college teams in different roles. He is always scouring the Baseball Savant page to find the next little nugget that might help his hometown Padres (or his fantasy baseball team).