I don’t know the extent to which the Chicago Cubs are going to want to go so in on 2025 as to justify a second huge trade for one year of a player, but I think it’s worth noting that the San Diego Padres have reportedly discussed not only Dylan Cease in trade talks (mentioned before), but also Michael King. Both pitchers are 29, both pitchers were outstanding in 2024, and both pitchers are in their final year of team control before free agency.
From Ken Rosenthal:
“One reason the open market remains clogged is that teams continue to discuss trades. The Seattle Mariners’ Luis Castillo and San Diego Padres’ Dylan Cease and Michael King, for example, are among the starting pitchers who remain in play (King asked for $8.8 million in arbitration and the Padres offered $7.325 million; a hearing appears likely).”
Even at $8.8 million, King would be making $5 million less than Cease in 2025, and could easily fit in the Cubs’ budget. I’m not saying you’d want to see the Cubs choose King over Cease because of the relatively small difference in 2025 salary, I’m just pointing out that there is indeed a difference that may matter to the Cubs.
We know that, even after signing Matthew Boyd, the Cubs were in on a Jesus Luzardo trade, presumably seeking to get a little more upside for the middle of the rotation. The team has since added pretty significantly in the bullpen and then in the swing area with Colin Rea, but they haven’t added a sure-fire mid-rotation type. So, then, you could at least make the argument: if the Cubs were in on Luzardo, why wouldn’t they be in on King?
A former top Yankees reliever, King was sent to the Padres as part of last year’s Juan Soto trade, and converted to the rotation. He rewarded the Padres with a 2.95 ERA over 173.2 IP (33 starts). His 3.33 FIP was nearly as good when adjusting for context and comparing to league average (the ERA was 25% better than league average by ERA-, and the FIP was 17% better by FIP-). That is to say, even if you weren’t crediting him with skill in limiting hard contact (and you should, because he just didn’t get hit hard at all last year), he probably just about earned his results. The guy was very, very good in his first full big league season as a starting pitcher, and he projects quite well in 2025.
That said, you’d be getting King – like Kyle Tucker – for only a single year. We can hypothesize about extensions and all that, but ultimately, you’re getting one cheap-ish year of a probably-very-good starting pitcher. And the price tag, while not Tucker level, would be pretty darn steep in trade. Basically every team in baseball would be able to fit this guy into their budget and rotation. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Cubs wanted him; it wouldn’t surprise me if 10 other clubs have seriously engaged.
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