Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer will be looking to revamp his rotation this winter. The club enters the offseason with several question marks. This is mostly due to their plethora of pending free agents. Among the lengthy list of players likely set to depart Chicago are Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman, David Peterson, and Clay Holmes.
If most of these stars leave town, the Cubs will obviously have to bring in suitable replacements. Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic project Hoyer to target Michael King. As the duo points out, superstar starter Tarik Skubal would be Chicago’s top choice. Nevertheless, the consensus top free agent will have plenty of interest from Major League Baseball’s wealthiest teams.
King is also expected to receive attention in the market. This is, of course, assuming he chooses to opt out of his current deal with the San Diego Padres. The pitcher previously signed a three-year, $75 million contract with San Diego last winter. However, the agreement comes with with opt-out clauses and the star could earn a better long-term contract now.
Interestingly, the Chicago Cubs will be quite familiar with what King can do on the mound. The Padres ace recently faced Chicago in the National League Wild Card series. In his lone appearance, the veteran allowed just one hit to Cubs hitters over seven innings. Overall, King had a minuscule 0.64 ERA in three postseason starts with the Padres this fall.
Chicago Cubs Were Interested in Signing Michael King Last Year
The Chicago Cubs were previously linked with King before he signed the deal in San Diego. According to a report from Mooney and Sharma a year ago, the Cubs viewed the ace “as a starter with big upside when healthy.” He certainly proved this to be true in 2026. In 32 total regular-season starts, the veteran posted a 3.21 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 4.3 WAR.
Hoyer and the Cubs eventually pivoted to acquire Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins after missing out on King in 2025. Cabrera endured a rocky freshman season in Chicago by compiling a 5.96 ERA in just 18 total appearances on the campaign. Although they missed out on the Padres star before, the Cubs should revisit a deal for him in the coming weeks.
It was recently revealed that the Chicago Cubs will set aside a massive chunk of their available funds to land starting pitchers. As a result, free agent outfielder Seiya Suzuki is not expected to return to the team. Nevertheless, landing King would be a fantastic start to the offseason for Hoyer as the exec retools his rotation.
Chicago Faces Competition in Chase for Star Pitcher
The Chicago Cubs will, however, have to offer King a suitable salary. Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter recently projected the starting pitcher to receive a new contract in the neighborhood of five years, $120 million. If the reporter’s predictions turn out to be true, the Padres ace will receive the second-highest deal in MLB’s free agency. Reuter believes Skubal’s next contract will reach $360 million.
Chicago is expected to have intense competition for King, though. In fact, the Boston Red Sox may already have an advantage in the situation. The starter was recently linked to returning to New England this winter. He previously grew up in Rhode Island and attended Boston College.
Cubs to Reignite Interest in $75 Million Star Pitcher