A report from the Boston Globe labeled the Yankees, Orioles, and Red Sox as finalists for the Michael King sweepstakes, with Brian Cashman continuing to cast a wide net for pitching options.
The right-hander was traded by the Yankees ahead of the 2024 season, as he was one of the headliners in the Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres.
Sometimes reports like these include the Bronx Bombers in order to drive another club to increase their financial bid, but other times the interest is genuine.
Furthermore, the pursuit of a pitcher like King comes with concerns, especially after he was rendered completely ineffective over the final two months of the season due to injury.
We all know the talent here and he’s spent the last three years as an excellent pitcher when starting, but does that mean the Yankees should be the top team for his services?
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What Does Michael King Bring To the Yankees’ Rotation?
The foundation of Michael King’s repertoire has remained the same; he throws a sweeper, sinker, four-seamer, and changeup but has added a new wrinkle to the mix.
A gyro slider has been added to give him more weapons against right-handed batters, using it 11% of the time in those matchups with solid results.
This past season was a step back from the King we’re used to seeing, as he struggled with damage prevention and ran his lowest K% (24.7%) since 2021 when he had begun finding his footing in the Major Leagues.
One of the biggest green flags for a post-injury Michael King down the stretch was that his struggles were tied more to poor command than a loss in velocity, there’s no lost velocity to regain following the shoulder issue he dealt with.
In fact the movement on his changeup, sinker, and four-seamer had all improved without exchanging any velocity or changing his release points much, and projections buy in on King being a quality number two starter in 2026.
His last three years of performance as a starting pitcher would justify the label of being a quality number two starter as well, he has the sixth-lowest ERA (2.92) among starters since 2023 (min. 250 IP).
It comes with a 3.48 FIP and 19.3% K-BB%, so while the ERA is excellent, the underlying metrics don’t scream top-10 pitcher, but rather a top 25-35 arm, which slots in well behind Max Fried.
When you slide Cam Schlittler into a third starter role to enter the season (making him the fifth starter when everyone’s healthy) you give the roster the ability to have a dynamic rotation.
That being said, it comes with very obvious injury risk given his limited work this past year and the elbow fracture he suffered during the 2022 season.
If his medicals check out and the deal ranges between 3-4 years, this is a pitcher worth investing in for the Yankees, but my question here in regards to where Michael King himself wants to end up.
How Real Are the Yankees’ Chances of Landing Michael King?
From what I’m hearing, the field of teams vying for Michael King exceed the group of the Red Sox, Orioles, and Yankees as the Mets are still in-play for his services as well.
To add onto that, while King is definitely open to a return to the Yankees and would welcome it if that’s the best offer handed out, there’s a feeling that Boston is his preferred destination.
Chris Cotillo on MassLive was told by a source that King would “love” playing in Boston, and not that he needs my validation on this, but it is 100% accurate.
This isn’t a scenario where he’s leaving an additional year or tens of millions of dollars on the table, and Cotillo notes that Boston is more opportunistic in-case he takes a hometown discount, not that they’re furiously bidding here.
My official report for the Yankees’ aggregation pages (and our social team, shout out Sam) is this:
The Yankees have genuine interest in RHP Michael King, who is viewed highly following the 2023 season by higher ups inside their organization.
New York will face stiff competition for his services, as the Red Sox, Orioles, and Mets are among the prominent teams in this mix and each come with compelling cases or a serious desire to blow some cash on their roster.
Whether the Yankees end up landing King or not remains to be seen, and given his slight favoritism for the Red Sox as the team in his home area, the idea that he will show a unique loyalty to the Bronx Bombers is untrue or an incredibly well-kept secret.