The offseason can introduce a name into the spotlight and whisk it away just as quickly, which is exactly what happened when Zac Gallen was briefly mentioned as having a deal in place that never existed. What lingered for a moment was the price tag attached to that false start, a detail that carries weight when a pitcher like Michael King sits in a similar performance neighborhood for the New York Mets to consider. It turns a fleeting rumor into an early clue about how this market might behave.
Around that time, Jim Bowden published a prediction piece and placed Gallen within a new round of projected contracts. Nothing earthshaking, just the usual early winter guessing game that keeps everyone busy until something real happens. The Amazins are naturally linked to just about every arm this time of year, so any projection around Gallen becomes part of the larger conversation. If that conversation nudges Michael King’s price tag upward, it does not change the fact that he checks the boxes the Mets should be prioritizing.
Higher price or not, King still checks off 3 Mets boxesBox 1. Smart contract length
This winter’s starting pitcher aisle is stocked with long receipts. In Bowden’s predictions, Framber Valdez and Imai are parked in the seven-year range, Ranger Suarez shows up with six, and Gallen settles into five. That is the going rate for arms in this tier right now. For a team like the Mets, contract length becomes just as important as performance when trying to maintain year-to-year flexibility in the rotation.
King lands in a different place. Coming off an injury-plagued 2025, he is projected to be closer to four years, which lines up perfectly with David Stearns’ shorter-term approach on the mound. Jeff Passan even noted that King has a willingness to sign a shorter deal, which only strengthens the fit. So even if his price tag drifts upward from Gallen chatter, this first box still leans in the Mets’ direction.
Box 2. Command inside the zone
Justin Willard arrived with a simple idea that sounds easy until hitters get involved. More strikes, but more bite inside the zone. It is a philosophy that can look risky at first glance, yet the early results around the league suggest real upside when pitchers can land quality pitches where swings actually happen. King looked tailor-made for that approach in 2024, finishing ninth in MLB with an 82.5 percent zone contact rate. That number places him in elite company when it comes to challenging hitters on his terms.
The story goes beyond the frequency of strikes. King’s hard-hit rate and average exit velocity both sat in the top three percent league-wide, proof that opponents were not squaring him up even when they were making contact. In a Mets pitching room that wants conviction inside the zone, that is a rarity worth paying for, even if the price keeps climbing.
Box 3. Quality through the arsenal
David Stearns has made it fairly clear that run prevention sits at the heart of this build. The flashier traits of certain free agents may draw attention, but nothing matters more than simply keeping runners off the bases. King does that with an arsenal that stays stubbornly stingy. In 2024, he threw his changeup, sinker, and sweeper more than 70 percent of the time and held opposing hitters to a .204 batting average. That is a steady approach, not a hot streak.
Even in a 2025 season where nerve issues slowed him down, those same pitches accounted for nearly the same volume and produced a .199 batting average against. When three offerings live around that level, opponents spend most innings walking back to the dugout. For a front office centered on preventing traffic, that third box may be the most convincing reason to stay in on King regardless of price.