The New York Yankees are reportedly one of three finalists for pitcher Michael King, with the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles being the other two.
King broke into the big leagues with the Yankees in 2019 and spent five seasons in the Bronx, mostly working as a reliever before being traded to the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto deal.
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But since then, King has transformed himself into one of baseball’s better starting pitchers, and while he only made 15 starts this past year due to a shoulder injury, he is unquestionably one of the best options available in free agency.
In fact, he may very well be the best bang-for-your-buck arm still up for grabs.
That being said, the fact that New York could potentially closing in on King can only mean two things: a.) Tatsuya Imai is too expensive for the Yankees’ taste, and b.) the Yanks aren’t too keen on shipping out a bunch of prospects in a trade for a frontline starter.
And to be perfectly honest, so long as King stays healthy in 2026, that’s okay.
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The 30-year-old logged a 2.95 ERA while allowing 144 hits and racking up 201 strikeouts over 173.2 innings of work during his debut campaign with the Padres in 2024, finishing seventh in NL Cy Young award voting.
Michael King. Credit:Â Denis Poroy-Imagn Images.
King was then once again impressive in limited action this past season, pitching to the tune of a 3.44 ERA across 73.1 frames.
Is King as impactful as Tarik Skubal? No, but he is very good arm who boasts a lifetime 3.24 ERA, and he has already proven that he can pitch in New York.
The Rochester, N.Y. native also surely won’t be even close to as pricey as bigger free-agent names like Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez, and even though his former teammate Dylan Cease bagged a seven-year, $210 million contract with Toronto, King should come at a fraction of the cost.
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Clearly, the Yankees are entirely comfortable just adding King and waiting for Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon to return next spring. Imai is rumored to be seeking $200 million, which is probably a bit much for the suddenly cost-conscious Hal Steinbrenner.
We also know that general manager Brian Cashman is stingy with prospects, so he probably balked at the idea of including one of Spencer Jones or Jasson Dominguez plus one or two of the Yankees’ top young arms in a trade for an ace.
A rotation that includes Cole, Max Fried, Rodon, King and Cam Schlittler would be dynamite and would absolutely increase New York’s chances of winning a World Series.
Of course, the Yankees have other needs to attend to, as well.