Michael King is open to a Yankees reunion in free agency, and that might be exactly what his former team needs.
“I mean, of course, once you get to free agency, that’s what I’ll start thinking about,” King told Fireside Yankees when asked about potentially returning to the Bronx. “I’ve got to focus on winning today… hopefully by the end of it I can have all 30 teams calling me.”
The Yankees’ rotation has become a clear area of concern with Gerrit Cole sidelined for the season. Outside of offseason addition Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, their starting pitchers have struggled to find consistency.
King, meanwhile, has blossomed into one of baseball’s elite starters since being traded to San Diego in the Juan Soto deal last winter. He’s posted a stellar 2.09 ERA with 46 strikeouts across seven starts to begin the 2025 campaign.
It’s quite the development for a pitcher who spent five seasons with the Yankees primarily as a reliever and spot starter. Now, King’s free agent value has skyrocketed. Jim Bowden of The Athletic projects he’ll command around $182 million on the open market.
The timing couldn’t be more interesting. After losing Soto to the Mets’ $765 million offer, the Yankees pivoted by trading for Cody Bellinger and Devin Williams while signing Paul Goldschmidt. They also landed Fried, who’s become their de facto ace with Cole out.
King’s Return Would Address Critical Need
What makes a potential King reunion particularly intriguing is that the Yankees had years to extend him but never locked him up long-term. Instead, they included him in the package that brought Soto to New York for one season.
Now that King has established himself as a frontline starter, Brian Cashman might be placing a very different kind of call to his representatives this winter. With rotation uncertainty beyond this season, King represents exactly the type of pitcher the Yankees need to complement Cole and Fried in 2026 and beyond.
The irony isn’t lost on Yankees fans. The team traded away a pitcher who’s now thriving as an ace to rent Soto for a season, only to potentially bid against 29 other teams to bring King back at premium prices.
But that’s baseball. And for the Yankees, addressing their rotation will likely be priority number one this offseason – with their former reliever-turned-ace sitting atop the wishlist.
