The Padres on Thursday likely set themselves up to get two additional selections in next year’s draft.
It is also possible, though far less likely, that they made moves that could result in them bringing back a pair of experienced starting pitchers looking to have bounceback seasons.
The club announced it had extended the qualifying offer on Dylan Cease and Michael King, both of whom are expected by industry sources to decline those offers and become among the most sought-after free agents on the market this offseason.
A player who received the qualifying offer, which comes with a guaranteed salary of $22.025 million for 2026, has 10 days to accept or decline.
Should the offer be declined, the player becomes a free agent.
When that player signs with another team, his former club receives draft pick compensation while the signing team forfeits at least one draft pick.
As Competitive Balance Tax payors in 2025, the Padres would receive a pick immediately after the fourth round for each player who signed elsewhere.
The 29-year-old Cease, whose 162 starts are most in the major leagues since 2021, is expected to get a multi-year deal with an average annual value well above $22 million. The right-hander had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2025, posting a 4.55 ERA over 165 innings, but he is the only MLB pitcher to have at least 200 strikeouts in each of the past five seasons and was a top-4 finisher in Cy Young voting in 2022 (American League) and ‘24 (National League).
The market for King is less certain, though some projections have him getting around $20 million a year over three or four years. The 30-year-old righty was considered by some to have a chance to be the top available free agent starter this winter before injuries limited him to 15 starts in ‘25. His health issues are not long-term concerns, however, and a pitcher who had a 3.03 ERA in 45 starts over the past two seasons figures to be highly sought after.