SF Giants division rivals make a pair of splashy moves this week

Despite the idea of selling the franchise, the San Diego Padres made a pair of splashy moves this week. The SF Giants division rivals brought back Michael King on a three-year, $75 million deal and added KBO infielder Sung-Mun Song. Robert Murray of FanSided was the first to break the Song news.

SF Giants division rivals make a pair of splashy moves this week

Francys Romero of BeisbolFR reports that Song's contract is a three-year, $13 million deal. The Padres will owe the Kiwoom Heroes a posting fee of about $2.6 million.

The Heroes have had a lot of players move stateside in recent years. At one point, that roster included Jung Hoo Lee, Ha-Seong Kim, Hyeseong Kim, and Song.

The left-handed bat is coming off a solid season, where he posted a .917 OPS with 26 home runs and 90 RBI in 574 plate appearances. Across nine seasons in the KBO, he has put up a .283/.347/.431 line with a 10.2 percent walk rate, 15.4 percent strikeout rate, and .148 ISO.

Michael King's contract includes an opt-out after each of the first two seasons. If he performs well in 2026, this could essentially become a one-year deal.

The right-handed pitcher rejected a qualifying offer earlier in the offseason, so there was draft pick and international free agency capital tied to his name if he signed elsewhere. Given this, the contract he signed was likely not all that appealing to a lot of teams.

King posted a 3.44 ERA in 15 starts for the Padres last season. He missed half the season due to a knee injury and a nerve issue in his shoulder. When healthy, King has proven to be a very good starter.

The Padres' rotation needed the help. Nick Pivetta is penciled in to lead that unit. Joe Musgrove is expected to return from Tommy John surgery, but Yu Darvish is out for next season. San Diego watched Dylan Cease join the Toronto Blue Jays earlier in November.

The Padres have watched a lot of good starting pitchers depart in free agency in recent years. This includes Cease, Blake Snell, Michael Wacha, and Seth Lugo. Despite this, they have continued to find a way to put together competitive pitching staffs.

The Padres were not expected to be all that aggressive this winter. Teams that are considering selling do not often take on a lot of payroll. King's deal could be off the books within a year, and if it is, that likely means that he had a good season.