After An Injury-Riddled 2025 Season, Is Michael King A Good Free-Agent Bet?

Right-hander Michael King is set to hit free agency following an injury-riddled season with the Padres. When healthy, King has proven to be one of the better starters in baseball, but throughout his career, King has struggled to stay on the field. 

King's Career Thus Far
Michael King debuted for the Yankees in 2019, appearing in just one game before becoming a regular contributor in 2020. He began his career as a reliever, developing into one of the most consistent bullpen arms in baseball thanks to his elite command and ability to miss bats. In 2022 and 2023, King posted a sub-3.00 FIP with a strikeout rate north of 30% and a walk rate under 7%, placing him among the league’s most efficient multi-inning relievers. 

Toward the end of the 2023 season, the Yankees transitioned King into the rotation, and he thrived. King generated a 2.45 FIP, 29% strikeout rate, and 6% walk rate across 40 1/3 innings. His pitch mix, highlighted by a heavy 95-mph sinker, a sharp sweeping slider, and a high-spin four-seam fastball, his stuff translated seamlessly to the rotation, with his changeup and curveball providing additional weapons against left-handed hitters.

King was traded to the Padres in December 2023 as a key piece of the Juan Soto trade. In his first full season as a starter, King made 30 starts and established himself as a legitimate frontline arm, posting a FIP around 3.10, a strikeout rate of 28%, and a WHIP near 1.10 over 173 innings. After an uneven start, he settled into form, limiting barrels and ranking among National League leaders in ground-ball rate and strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

King’s 2025 season, however, was disrupted by injuries, including a shoulder impingement and left knee inflammation; he was restricted to just 15 starts. Even so, King maintained strong underlying metrics, including a 3.60 FIP, 26% strikeout rate, and 7% walk rate over 73 innings.

Contract Projections & Team Fit
King enters free agency as one of the more intriguing arms on the market. Contract projections vary widely: some insiders expect King to command a three- or four-year deal in the $55–60 million range (around $18–20 million annually), while others believe a four-year pact worth closer to $100 million is possible if bidding intensifies.

Several teams have already been connected to King’s market. The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs are both searching for mid-rotation stability and could view King as a lower-cost alternative to the top-tier arms.

King is particularly intriguing for the Red Sox because of how he might pitch in Fenway Park. As a right-hander who induces a high number of ground balls and limits hard contact to left-handed hitters, King’s arsenal would play perfectly in Boston’s home environment, where the short left-field wall can be punishing to fly-ball pitchers. His sinker-slider combination would help neutralize pull-heavy lefties and keep the ball on the ground. Many of the same things could be said for the Cubs and Wrigley Field; with notoriously-volatile park conditions so unpredictable, and the Cubs offering solid infield defense, King could be a fit on the North Side of Chicago.