Padres Impending Free Agent Predicted to Sign $110 Million Contract in Offseason

The San Diego Padres have had an incredible February.

A slow offseason started to concern fans as the Padres watched name after name get linked to San Diego, only to sign elsewhere, and key names from last year land on other teams. Last month proved invaluable to the Friars as veteran platoon players were added, as well as key names to bolster a pitching rotation.

As this offseason has seen an attempt to shed payroll, a key pitcher from last season may be trending towards the opposite as he is eyeing a giant pay day.

One of the most productive pitchers in the Padres' rotation last season was Michael King.

His stunning 2.95 ERA along with a 13-9 record over 173.2 innings confused batters all season long. This offseason, he couldn't evade trade rumors due to his contract and the Padres aforementioned thriftiness.

General Manager A.J. Preller didn't do a good job of putting those rumors to rest as USA Today's MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported a trade may still be on the table.

"It remains unknown whether Cease or King will still be with them on opening day," Nightengale wrote. "Ultra-aggressive GM A.J. Preller continues to listen to trade offers on Cease and King in ways to shed payroll while still remaining competitive."

Wherever King ends up, he is due for a huge contract after his current deal is up at the end of 2025.

CBS Sports MLB insider R.J. Anderson theorized what kind of deal King would be offered given his dominant history, and the number he landed on was a four year, $110 million contract.

It makes a lot of sense given the 201 strikeouts to only 63 walks last year from the former reliever-turned-starter. Anderson used Tyler Glasnow as a pitching comparison to get the numbers that he did.

Wherever King ends up on Opening Day and beyond, he is set to dazzle the mound for another season and earn a matching salary when negotiating.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.