The Return of Michael King
King is anticipated to start Saturday night’s game against the Red Sox, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic. King had his name in the Cy Young competition before suffering an odd shoulder ailment.
After being traded to the Padres as part of the Juan Soto deal, he really made his debut. The former reliever was outstanding when he took over as the Padres’ rotation ace the previous season. King finished seventh in MVP voting with a 2.95 ERA and 201 strikeouts over 173.2 innings. He then pitched a seven-inning shutout with 12 strikeouts in the wild card stage of the playoffs. Although King’s subsequent postseason start against the Dodgers didn’t go as planned, the Padres won the game after he pitched five innings.
With a 2.59 ERA and 64 punch-outs in his first ten outings prior to injury, King looked even better to start the season.
It would be an understatement to say that the injury dealt the Friars a blow. Their finest pitcher is him. He has become one of the league’s most feared starters thanks to his five-pitch mix, which includes one of the most powerful sinkers in the game.
Free Agency Is Coming
Unfortunately, King’s time in San Diego has made him a highly sought-after player, and he is anticipated to test free agency this winter. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report has provided an analysis of King’s impending free agency market.
In addition to having a sub-3.00 ERA for the fourth straight season, King has missed time since mid-May due to a thoracic nerve problem. Since last year was the only one so far when King made more than ten starts, he now needs to return and demonstrate his worth even more than Bieber does. He may have the finest stuff of the four pitchers in this tier, but he has the lowest chance of landing a $100 million contract. (Prediction: King signs a three-year contract extension with the Padres.)
I don’t think King will make less than $100 million, but there are durability issues. In any case, the Padres must take advantage of that market if it is his.
Glory to the King!
Michael King is absolutely necessary for the Padres to be a serious contender for the championship this year and in the future. Dylan Cease, who has had a difficult season, will also be a free agent at the end of this one. Both Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish have several years left on their contracts, but they are aging and have significant injury concerns. Pivetta is under contract for the future and has established himself as a top arm. My guess is that Mason Miller is turned into a starter. Overall, though, this squad will have a huge rotational hole going into the summer. King is the solution.
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