The Atlanta Braves are eyeing San Diego Padres starter Michael King as they look to bolster their rotation. The Braves, who’ve lost Max Fried and Charlie Morton, haven’t made any major pitching additions this offseason.
King’s coming off a breakout year where he posted a 2.95 ERA with 201 strikeouts, finishing seventh in NL Cy Young voting. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports King is “among the starting pitchers who remain in play” on the trade market.
There’s some tension brewing between King and the Padres over his arbitration case. He’s filed at $8.8 million while San Diego countered at $7.3 million. That’s where a potential trade comes in.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer proposed a package that would send King and lefty Wandy Peralta to Atlanta in exchange for outfielder Jarred Kelenic and pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver.
“With Profar aboard and Ronald Acuña Jr. on the comeback trail, it won’t be long before Kelenic is out of a job,” Rymer writes. “Yet the former top prospect is still only 25, while Smith-Shawver is 22 and already has major league experience.”
The deal could make sense for both sides. The Padres would shed Peralta’s $13.2 million salary while adding young talent. The Braves would get their starter and a bullpen piece to replace A.J. Minter.
King’s shown he can be a frontline starter, and his price tag is reasonable. Spotrac projects him to land a four-year, $71 million deal when he hits free agency.
The Braves’ rotation needs help with Spencer Strider out to start the season. They do have Chris Sale, last year’s NL Cy Young winner, but adding King would give them a formidable 1-2 punch. A rotation of King, Sale, Strider, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach could be exactly what Atlanta needs for another World Series run.
