The Mets and Yankees were among the interested teams, but right-hander Michael King is re-signing with the San Diego Padres, according to multiple reports.
King will stay with the NL West club, despite the New York team’s reported pursuit, on a three-year, $75 million deal that has opt-outs after the first and second season, as first reported by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
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King, who turns 31 in March, elected free agency at the end of the 2025 season after an injury-riddled second year with the Padres, which was a shame considering how King pitched the season prior and the start he got off to this past year.
The righty, who began his career in The Bronx before the Yanks dealt him to San Diego in the Juan Soto deal, spent two stints on the injured list in 2025, the first due to right shoulder inflammation before knee inflammation sent him back to the training room. But when King was on the mound, he was decently effective, pitching to a 3.44 ERA and 1.200 WHIP across 73.1 innings and 15 starts. He struck out 76 batters to 26 walks, good for 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
But those numbers represent a drop off from his fine first season in Southern California, when he had a terrific year, his first as a full-time starter. That year, King posted a 2.95 ERA and 1.192 WHIP in 173.2 innings over 30 starts, with 201 strikeouts to 63 walks, a 10.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That saw him finish seventh in NL Cy Young voting.
As a starter, his sinker (29.5 percent), four-seamer (24.4 percent), changeup (21.4 percent, thrown mostly to lefties), and sweeper (18.9 percent) comprise the majority of his arsenal, with a slider that he throws to righties added in the past two seasons, rounding things out. San Diego will hope he returns to his 2024 form, when he was great at getting soft contact – 97th percentile in hard-hit percentage and 99th percentile in average exit velocity.
During his time with the Yanks, he made 115 appearances (19 starts) and posted a 3.38 ERA over 247.2 innings.
