The San Diego Padres were able to retain Michael King in the offseason, but the contract he was signed to included an opt-out clause after this season.
King has been injured most of the year, but in his 11 healthy starts, he’s been one of the better pitchers in baseball. For the last few seasons, he’s held an ERA below 3.00. Now that he’s pitching so well, it should be expected that he opts out of his contract at the end of the season in order to test free agency.
MLB’s Mark Feinsand recently listed the Toronto Blue Jays as a potential landing spot in the free agency sweepstakes for King.
“King has quietly emerged as one of the game’s top starters since making the move from the bullpen, posting a 2.92 ERA in his two seasons in the Padres’ rotation,” Feinsand wrote. “The right-hander has been limited to 11 starts this season due to a nerve impingement near his shoulder, but assuming he returns and shows that he’s healthy, King — who is expected to decline his $15 million mutual option to become a free agent — should be one of the most sought-after arms during the offseason.”
The Blue Jays are one of the best teams in baseball, but they lack pitching. They have the money to make a big splash in free agency, even if they re-sign Bo Bichette in free agency.
Signing King would give them a top-of-the-line starting pitcher to place atop their rotation for the next few years. King also isn’t going to land a deal worth $200 million like some other top arms on the market, so it would be much more affordable for the Blue Jays to pull off.
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