The San Diego Padres Put All Their Faith In Michael King—But Is It Too Much?

San Diego Padres fans may have witnessed the steal of the offseason—can Michael King become the true ace in 2026? Javier Reyes breaks down King’s rollercoaster 2025 campaign and explains why the right-hander’s injury-plagued season hides his elite upside. He breaks down King’s fastball woes, inflated barrel rates, and alarming home run spike could be temporary setbacks, and how his improved sinker and resilient mindset signal a massive bounce-back. Javi also discusses the Padres’ starting pitching depth challenges, King’s three-year $75 million contract with player options, how his performance compares to other big name Padres like Dylan Cease and Joe Musgrove, and what made King special to begin with when the Padres first traded for him as the headliner. Go Padres.  00:00 — Michael King 2026 Preview 04:05 — 2025 Struggles & Pitch Analysis 17:51 — Bounce-Back Potential & Closing Thoughts Join Everydayer Club: https://lockedonpadres.supercast.com/ Follow on Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/Javiipeno Follow on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/javiipeno.bsky.social Follow on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@javioos Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! PlayStation This episode of is brought to you by MLB The Show 26. Visit https://mlbthe.show/lockedon and use code “LOCKEDON” to unlock a pack for use in Diamond Dynasty. Pre-Order now, Available March 17th on PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. RATED E FOR EVERYONE. Turbo Tax For a limited time, you can have your taxes done by a local TurboTax expert for just $150 — all in, if a TurboTax expert didn’t file for you last year. Just file by February 28. Take taxes off your plate and get back to your life.  Visit https://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today.  Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuel FanDuel is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger potential wins with a College Basketball Parlay Profit Boost.Visit https://FANDUEL.COMto get started — Play Your Game.   FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.