SAN DIEGO -- If it wasn’t obvious before, it should be now: The Padres need starting pitching. Badly.

Both Dylan Cease and Michael King declined their qualifying offers ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, as was largely expected. They’re now full-fledged free agents, and if they sign elsewhere, the Padres would receive Draft compensation.

This year’s qualifying offer was $22.025 million. Because Cease and King turned down that one-year contract, San Diego would receive a pair of Draft picks if they do not return -- but because the team exceeded the Competitive Balance Tax in the 2025 season, those picks would come after the fourth round.

Signings & Trades

Neither of the decisions comes as a surprise. If anything, Tuesday simply further spotlighted the Padres’ need in the rotation. Yu

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