One Padres Free Agent They Can't Afford to Lose (and One They Can)

The San Diego Padres' 2026 season has officially come to an end.

The Padres put up a hard-fought battle in their National League Division Series matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers; however, it wasn't enough against the best team in all of baseball.

The page has now turned to the 2027 season for the Padres, and they have much to mull over.

The Padres front office will have to make a ton of tough decisions, with as many as 17 potential free agents.

There will be a lot of back-and-forth with their players in the coming winter months. However, here is one free agent they can't afford to lose — and one they can.

King is one player the Padres cannot afford to lose this offseason. He posted a 3.21 ERA over 185 innings with 159 strikeouts in 2026, and he was even better in the postseason.

In three appearances, he posted a 0.64 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 14 innings.

While it's clear he will be a top property, the obvious problem is the cost. King can opt out of the final two years and $58 million on his contract, and he's expected to.

King's contract could very realistically exceed $100 million, depending on the length.

San Diego's rotation is already filled with question marks. Casy Mize and Robbie Ray are free agents as well, the team's two trade deadline acquisitions.

Potentially losing King doesn't just mean replacing a good pitcher; it means replacing above-average run prevention, strikeout ability and postseason reliability in an offseason when the Padres could already be searching for multiple starters.

King is going to be expensive, but that's the price of keeping an ace. The Padres can spend resources elsewhere; what they can't do is create another King simply by reallocating that money.

The Padres acquired Ray at the trade deadline after he posted a 3.08 ERA in 21 starts with the San Francisco Giants.

San Diego expected him to continue his great play; however, his time with the Padres was one to forget.

Ray went 3-2 with a 5.02 ERA in nine starts for San Diego, walking 27 batters in 43 innings.

His addition was a massive disappointment for the Padres, especially after giving up Miguel Mendez (the team's fourth-ranked prospect) and Joniel Hernandez (ninth-ranked prospect) to acquire him.

Although the Padres need starting pitching, they don't specifically need Ray.

If San Diego is going to spend heavily to rebuild the rotation, those dollars and a rotation spot should go toward a pitcher with a stronger projection than Ray's 2026 performance in San Diego.

The 35-year-old will hit the open market this winter, and the Padres should stay away at all costs.

All in all, needing to replace a position isn't the same thing as needing to retain a player.