SAN DIEGO — The Yankees wanted their former pitcher back. The Mets also dangled money and held a Zoom meeting with him. But Michael King had other plans.
King agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract to remain with the San Diego Padres on Thursday night. The deal includes player opt-outs after the 2026 and 2027 seasons. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand first reported the agreement.
The Yankees were among half a dozen teams pursuing King this offseason. So were the Mets, Red Sox, Orioles, and Cubs. None of them landed the 30-year-old right-hander who began his career in the Bronx.
Contract breakdown gives King flexibility
The creative structure works for both sides. King receives a $12 million signing bonus spread across three years. His 2026 salary sits at just $5 million.
The player options make this interesting. King can opt out after 2026 and test free agency again without a qualifying offer attached. If he stays, he earns $28 million in 2027 with a $5 million buyout. The 2028 option pays $30 million.
The math works out to $22 million guaranteed if King opts out after one year. That nearly matches the $22,025,000 qualifying offer he rejected last month. He essentially took the qualifying offer value while keeping longer-term insurance policies.
Boone praised King at Winter Meetings
Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke highly of his former pitcher last week in Orlando. He made clear the organization still valued what King brought to the mound.
“Stud, not surprising what he did with the Padres,” Boone told reporters. “The thing about Kinger is he’s got obviously great stuff and a great arsenal. He’s really smart and has a real good understanding of that stuff. It’s allowed him to evolve as a pitcher, coupled with his confidence.”
Boone continued praising King’s development from reliever to starter.
“That’s a powerful thing when you got stuff, the ability to learn and understand what you’re doing, and then the confidence to go do it,” Boone said. “So I’m not surprised he went to that level. Obviously had some injuries this past year that slowed him a little bit, but he’s really good when he’s out there.”
King’s journey from Bronx bullpen to San Diego ace
The Yankees traded King to San Diego in December 2023 as part of the Juan Soto deal. At the time, the ex-Yankees star had spent five seasons in the Bronx mostly working out of the Yankees bullpen. He made 115 appearances for the Yankees with just 19 starts. His 3.38 ERA across 247.2 innings showed promise.
Everything changed in San Diego. The Padres made King a full-time starter. He responded with one of the best seasons of any pitcher in baseball during 2024.
King posted a 2.95 ERA across 173.2 innings in 30 starts that year. He struck out 201 batters against just 63 walks. His 10.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked among the best in the National League. He finished seventh in NL Cy Young voting.
The pitch mix evolved too. King blended a sinker at 29.5 percent usage with a four-seamer at 24.4 percent. His changeup came in at 21.4 percent against lefties. The sweeper at 18.9 percent rounded out the arsenal. He ranked in the 97th percentile in hard-hit percentage and 99th percentile in average exit velocity allowed.
Injuries complicated 2025 campaign
King’s second San Diego season brought health problems. Right shoulder inflammation sent him to the injured list first. Knee inflammation followed later in the year.
The numbers dropped accordingly. King made just 15 starts and pitched 73.1 innings. He posted a 3.44 ERA with 76 strikeouts against 26 walks. The 5-3 record masked a frustrating season interrupted twice by trips to the training room.
His postseason ended poorly. King struggled in the NL Wild Card Series against the Cubs. The Padres gave Yu Darvish the Game 3 start instead. The ex-Yankees star appeared in relief, striking out three in a scoreless inning after Darvish exited early.
Yankees rotation needs remain unclear
The Yankees expect Gerrit Cole to return in May or June after missing all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery. Carlos Rodon comes back from his own elbow procedure. But the rotation depth that King could have provided now goes elsewhere.
General manager Brian Cashman spoke about roster flexibility at the Winter Meetings.
“We are playing around with a lot of different ideas and seeing if it takes us anywhere,” Cashman said.
King clearly represented one of those ideas. The reunion made sense on paper. The Yankees needed starting pitching. King knew the Yankees organization. Both sides had unfinished business after the Soto trade scattered the Yankees roster two winters ago.
Padres fill rotation hole after Cease departure
San Diego needed this signing. Dylan Cease left for a seven-year, $210 million deal with Toronto. Yu Darvish will miss all of 2026 recovering from elbow surgery. The rotation that carried the Padres to the playoffs looked barren entering the winter.
Nick Pivetta now leads the staff as the de facto ace. Joe Musgrove should return from Tommy John surgery. King slots in as the clear No. 2 option when healthy.
The Padres received no draft pick compensation for retaining King since they extended the qualifying offer he rejected. But keeping their homegrown ace beats any compensatory pick the league could award.
What the Yankees lost in the original trade
The Soto trade always involved giving up young pitching. The Yankees sent King to San Diego along with catcher Kyle Higashioka, prospects Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, and Randy Vasquez.
Soto helped the Yankees reach the 2024 World Series before signing with the Mets last December on a record $765 million contract. King became the pitcher the Yankees always hoped he could be, just wearing different colors.
The Yankees had him for five seasons. They used him primarily in relief. The Padres got him for two years and immediately made him a starter. Now he stays in San Diego with $75 million guaranteed.
The reunion that seemed possible a week ago died Thursday night. King pitched his way out of the Bronx in a trade for a superstar. He just chose not to pitch his way back.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
