The San Diego Padres have usually been highly aggressive buyers in the free agent market each MLB offseason. Two of the 10 largest free agent contracts in history were handed out by the Padres â 10 years and $300 million to Manny Machado in 2019, and 11 years, $280 million to Xander Bogaerts in 2022. Only the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers have more contracts on the top 10 list.
But this offseason, the Padres have been unusually quiet, making not a single free agent signing or significant trade to date, with just over three weeks to go before the Friars open their spring training schedule. Why? According to a report by CBS Sports, the belief around MLB is that San Diego is now focused on cutting their payroll to get below the Competitive Balance Tax (aka “luxury tax”) threshold.
That means some perhaps unexpected Padres players may be on the trading block. On Thursday, Empire Sports Media reported that one of those is believed to be right-handed pitcher Michael King.
Yankees Could Target Pitcher Dealt Away For Juan Soto
King is a former New York Yankee, but when it became clear in 2023 that the Padres were not going to hold on to Juan Soto, who had just a year to go before his free agency kicked in, the Yankees made King the centerpiece of a five-player package shipped to San Diego in exchange for Soto.
Now, the popular Yankees blog Bleeding Yankee Blue says that if indeed King is going to be made available by the Padres, the Yankees could seek a reunion with the 29-year old, who was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 12th round of the 2016 MLB draft out of Boston College.
âThe Padres appear open to dealing with him, as they are reportedly listening to trade offers,” wrote Andres Chavez of Empire Sports Media. “Given Kingâs breakout season and the fact that he is still under team control, he immediately becomes one of the most attractive trade chips on the market.â
King was deployed primarily as a middle-relief and set-up specialist out of the Yankees bullpen. But in 2023, the Yankees gave him eight straight starts to close out the season and King responded well. He allowed just eight runs in 38 1/3 innings for a sparkling ERA of 1.88 in those starts.
When the Padres acquired him as part of the Soto trade, they kept him in a starter’s role and King took full advantage, quickly becoming one of the most reliable starting pitchers in either league. His 2.95 ERA ranked ninth in baseball and his 201 strikeouts placed him 10th. King received the seventh-most votes in the National League Cy Young Award balloting.
Yankees Urged to ‘Make the Call’
Do the Yankees need another starter? Beyond the age-old adage about never having too much pitching, their starting rotation topped by American League 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole and new free agent acquisition Max Fried appears to be set. The Yankees would face stiff competition for King, most likely according to Chavez from the Mets.
Nonetheless, Bleeding Yankee Blue believes they should go for it. The price, however, would probably include at least one of the Yankees’ top prospects.
“If youâre the Yankees, how do you not at least make the call? King was once a Yankee, a good soldier, and heâd be a seamless fit back in the rotation,” wrote the blog’s Robert Casey. “Michael King is a hot commodity. The Yankees could try to bring him back. The Mets should make a move. And another team will eventually pounce.”
Another possible catch â King is one season away from free agency. He is owed $8 million for the 2025 season. The Yankees will probably have to pay a lot more than that to keep him the Bronx in 2026 and beyond.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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