The San Diego Padres really are listening on everyone.

We knew from prior reporting that the Friars were receiving trade interest in batting champion Luis Arraez, pitchers Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez and infielder Jake Cronenworth. And now another name can be added to the list: Michael King.

This is according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who reported on Monday that the 29-year-old righty is "among the starting pitchers who remain in play" on the trade market.

King is likely headed for an arbitration hearing with the Padres, which would be their first since 2014. He filed for a 2025 salary of $8.8 million, with Padres countering at $7.3 million.

Spending as little as possible may be a priority for the Padres. Though Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on Sunday that the club expects to carry a top-10 payroll, current projections put it about $4.4 million over the $241 million luxury-tax threshold.

Dealing King, then, can conceivably get the Padres under the threshold and allow them to avoid paying penalties.

With all this in mind, let's assess King's trade value and speculate on his best landing spots.

What Is King's Trade Value?

After spending most of his first five seasons in the New York Yankees' bullpen, King transitioned into starting pitching on August 24, 2023.

Here's where he ranks among his fellow starters since then:

• 38 Starts: T-16th
• 212.0 Innings: 25th
• 249 Strikeouts: T-7th
• 2.76 ERA: 4th
• 5.3 fWAR: T-8th

As such, King has become, arguably, one of the 10 best starting pitchers in MLB today. And there's plenty in his Statcast profile to support his ascension, including above-average marks for whiffs and strikeouts and elite figures for exit velocity and hard-hit rate.

Though he is only under club control through the end of the 2025 season, Baseball Trade Values puts his surplus value at a sturdy $27.7 million. That is assuming a $7.9 million salary for 2025, effectively splitting the difference between his ask and the Padres' offer.

Dennis Lin's assessment for The Athletic of Dylan Cease's trade value may be instructive in relation to King. He theorized that the Padres would only move Cease, a rental ace in his own right, for "multiple controllable players," ideally including one starting pitcher.

It also seems fair to assume the Padres would only move King if the trade lowered their luxury-tax payroll. If not all the way under the threshold, then at least close to it.

Without further ado, let's look at 10 potential landing spots for King based on their level of need and how they line up as trading partners with San Diego. We'll also pitch trade proposals for the top five.

Farm system and prospect rankings are courtesy of B/R's Joel Reuter. Roster and WAR projections for 2025 are courtesy of FanGraphs.

10-6: Guardians, Red Sox, Giants, Tigers, Blue Jays

10. Cleveland Guardians

Current Rotation: Tanner Bibee, Ben Lively, Gavin Williams, Luis L. Ortiz, Triston McKenzie

Projected SP WAR: 8.7

The Guardians are worth bringing up because they have yet to substantially improve their starting rotation. It ranked last in the American League for rWAR in 2024.

They are nonetheless a strictly speculative possibility, as they have not been connected to King or any other notable hurler on the trade market. Plus, they're always more likely to cut payroll than to add any.

9. Boston Red Sox

Current Rotation: Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Bryan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Walker Buehler

Projected SP WAR: 14.8

The Red Sox have already added two starters in Crochet and Buehler, both of whom have ace upside. Yet they may still be open to adding an arm, and they were notably linked to Dylan Cease in December.

The Cease connection came out prior to the Crochet trade, though. And while Boston does have a ton of surplus hitting talent, the best way to leverage it would be in a trade for an impact pitcher who is young and controllable. King is neither.

8. San Francisco Giants

Current Rotation: Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Justin Verlander, Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks

Projected SP WAR: 10.7

The Giants' signing of Verlander filled the rotation hole left by Blake Snell's departure, but any hope the 41-year-old can still be a frontline starter is frankly misplaced.

As far as better options go, the Giants were in on Corbin Burnes and may still be in on Jack Flaherty. Yet even if King is a viable Plan B in this respect, the Giants just don't have a ton to offer the Padres. And particularly so if Bryce Eldridge is still off-limits.

7. Detroit Tigers

Current Rotation: Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Alex Cobb, Casey Mize, Jackson Jobe

Projected SP WAR: 13.1

Cobb is a nice addition, but it makes sense that the Tigers are another team in the mix for Flaherty. They just don't have another sure thing in their rotation after Skubal, the reigning Cy Young Award winner.

But would they pay a hefty price for a rental while they're still so early in their contention cycle? It seems doubtful. And while they could extend King, the guys who really need that sort of attention are Skubal and Riley Greene.

6. Toronto Blue Jays

Current Rotation: Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Bowden Francis, Chris Bassitt, Yariel Rodríguez

Projected SP WAR: 10.5

Like the Giants, the Blue Jays pushed for Burnes and may still be somewhere in the Flaherty sweepstakes. And unlike the Giants, they've left their rotation untouched this winter.

A trade for King would add yet another post-2025 free agent to Toronto's roster, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Bassitt as the other notables. Yet more so than that, the bigger issue may concern how little the Blue Jays have to offer San Diego.

5. Milwaukee Brewers

Current Rotation: Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, Aaron Civale, Tobias Myers, Nestor Cortes

Projected SP WAR: 12.2

It isn't for a lack of trying that the Brewers have yet to add a top-of-the-rotation starter this winter.

As Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported in December, the Brew Crew were in on Garrett Crochet before he ultimately landed in Boston:

The Brewers subsequently got Cortes in the trade that sent Devin Williams to the Yankees, but comparing him to Crochet isn't quite apples to apples. Cortes is more of a back-end guy, and one with shoulder and elbow injuries in his recent past.

Milwaukee is otherwise worth taking seriously as a suitor for King precisely because it can trade for him if it wants. The team isn't hurting for prospects, and even some of its major league pieces look expendable from certain angles.

Trade Proposal: Milwaukee Brewers get RHP Michael King; San Diego Padres get OF Garrett Mitchell, RHP Logan Henderson (Brewers No. 9)

As Milwaukee could otherwise roll with Blake Perkins in center field, Mitchell is one of those expendable-seeming pieces. The 25-year-old has a history of injuries but also a 121 OPS+ as a major leaguer.

The Padres could slot Mitchell into left field, with Henderson otherwise becoming a candidate to join their rotation. He looks reasonably MLB-ready after a 2024 season in the minors that was highlighted by a 6.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

4. Chicago Cubs

Current Rotation: Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, Javier Assad, Colin Rea

Projected SP WAR: 11.3

Elsewhere in the NL Central, no team in the division has improved as much as the Cubs. Trades for Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly have a lot to do with that.

As additions to the rotation go, though, Boyd and Rea are underwhelming. The former hasn't been an impact starter since 2019, and he's about to turn 34 on Sunday. The latter is already 34 and a below-average hurler.

As such, one's mind is still hung up on a January 3 report from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com in which he linked the Cubs to Jack Flaherty.

This was before they signed Rea, but there's still space in Chicago's rotation for a top-flight starter like Flaherty or, of course, King. He has the sweeper to fit right in as a Cubs hurler, and the team isn't lacking for surplus trade chips it could use to get him.

Trade Proposal: Chicago Cubs get RHP Michael King; San Diego Padres get OF Kevin Alcántara (Cubs No. 6), RHP Javier Assad

The prize for San Diego in this deal would be Alcántara. The 22-year-old's hit tool is suspect, but he checks boxes for power, speed and defensive ability. He's also ready to play in the majors.

For his part, Assad was a functional starter to the tune of a 3.73 ERA in 2024. He doesn't miss bats, but he has a dandy of a sinker that gets ground balls.

3. Atlanta Braves

Current Rotation: Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, Spencer Schwellenbach, Grant Holmes, Ian Anderson

Projected SP WAR: 15.3

The Braves had been shockingly quiet for much of the offseason, but not so much now and more moves may still be on the way.

Atlanta broke its silence by signing Jurickson Profar, an erstwhile Padre, to a three-year, $42 million deal last week. Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the next step may be to "add some insurance" to the rotation.

It's about time. Though Spencer Strider's return from elbow surgery will likely happen early in 2025, there are still holes where Max Fried and Charlie Morton used to be.

A trade for King would fix that and would promise to transform Atlanta's rotation into one of the better units in MLB. Indeed, a rotation consisting of him, Sale, Strider, López and Schwellenbach is one that could go out and win a World Series.

Trade Proposal: Atlanta Braves get RHP Michael King, LHP Wandy Peralta, cash; San Diego Padres get LF Jarred Kelenic, RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (Braves No. 3)

With Profar aboard and Ronald Acuña Jr. on the comeback trail, it won't be long before Kelenic is out of a job. Yet the former top prospect is still only 25, while Smith-Shawver is 22 and already has major league experience.

This would otherwise be a salary dump for San Diego, which would shed the $13.2 million still owed to Peralta. He'd fill the slot in Atlanta's pen vacated by A.J. Minter.

2. Minnesota Twins

Current Rotation: Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson, Chris Paddack

Projected SP WAR: 14.2

The Twins and Padres haven't made a trade, but they're dancing around each other like they want to.

The two sides have reportedly discussed Christian Vázquez, though that door is likely closed now that the Padres have re-signed Elías Díaz. Yet in their reporting on Vázquez, Dan Hayes and Dennis Lin of The Athletic also noted the Twins are interested in Dylan Cease.

Cease and King are, of course, different pitchers. Yet they have similar profiles as top-flight starters who are heading into their walk years, and King is more affordable. Cease has already agreed to a $13.8 million salary for 2025.

Both qualities should appeal to the Twins, who need another starter but also need to keep their payroll in check. After dropping in 2024, it's projected to go up by $10 million this year.

Trade Proposal: Minnesota Twins get RHP Michael King; San Diego Padres get OF Trevor Larnach, RHP Chris Paddack

This deal would be a risk for the Twins, as they'd stand to lose their No. 5 starter and their starting left fielder. Larnach will already be 28 come Opening Day, though, and it won't be long before outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez is knocking on Minnesota's door.

Larnach and Paddack, who began his career as a Padre, would fill two immediate needs in San Diego. The Padres would also get a little payroll relief from this deal, as those two only combine for $6.3 million in average annual value for 2025.

1. Baltimore Orioles

Current Rotation: Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano

Projected SP WAR: 10.0

Even if you didn't know for sure that the Orioles would get mentioned at some point, you probably suspected it would happen.

They lost Corbin Burnes to Arizona in December, and they were said to still be in on pitching after adding Morton and Sugano. A reunion with Jack Flaherty may be possible, and Jon Morosi of MLB Network has linked Baltimore to Luis Castillo and Dylan Cease:

This is another situation where King is a viable pivot from Cease. And for the Orioles, King's experience in the AL East should, arguably, make him the preferred target.

This, of course, is to say nothing of the salary difference between Cease and King. With the Orioles already projected to go past their 2024 spending by $54 million, how much more they want to add is a fair question.

Trade Proposal: Baltimore Orioles get RHP Michael King, RHP Jason Adam; San Diego Padres get OF Heston Kjerstad, RHP Dean Kremer

Kjerstad is a 25-year-old who starred with a .986 OPS in the minors last year, but he's looking up at Tyler O'Neill and Colton Cowser in Baltimore. Kremer is a middling starter, yet one who logged 172.2 innings as recently as 2023.

For their part, the O's would get both King and Adam (who will earn $4.8 million in 2025) as a cost-saving throw-in on San Diego's part. The latter has a 2.12 ERA across the last three seasons, and he would thus upgrade a pen that needs another late-inning arm.

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.