Michael King opts out of San Diego Padres contract, becomes a free agent

The World Series is over. Now the rest of the baseball world can go about its business, and the San Diego Padres already have some very important matters to attend to.

In a move that was widely expected, Michael King ... the Padres ace and most reliable starting pitcher ... opted out of the remaining two years and $58 million on his contract to become a free agent. King is entering his age-32 season, right in the middle of his prime, and would have commanded a nine-figure deal even before he showed the baseball world that he's one of the few guys in the game who can shut down the Milwaukee Brewers.

King started the postseason taking a no-hitter into the 7th inning of the NL Wild Card Series against the Cubs, then was in line to get the win Game 2 of the National League Division Series with 5.0 innings of one-run ball in Wisconsin before coming out of the bullpen on one day of rest to throw two innings and get the save in Game 3 at Petco Park. All in all, King tossed 14.0 postseason innings, allowing five hits, one run, and striking out 15 against the two highest-scoring offenses in Major League Baseball.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy, always outspoken and honest, called King one of the most underrated pitchers in the game. In a nutshell, regular season Michael King is very, very good starting pitcher. Playoffs Michael King is Greg Maddux at his peak.