Padres right-hander Michael King declined his side of a mutual option, making him a free agent, sources told MLB.com on Sunday.

King, who spent the past two seasons in San Diego after arriving in the Juan Soto trade, is owed a $3.75 million buyout, rather than the $15 million he would have received if he accepted the option.

The decision is an expected one. The more intriguing steps in the process come next. The Padres will have until Thursday to decide whether they will give King a qualifying offer -- worth $22.05 million for the upcoming offseason. King would then have a week to decide whether he would accept.

King would presumably receive a more substantial deal on the free-agent market, so there seems to be a good chance he would decline that qualifying offer as well. If so, the

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