Michael King Is Good
The Padres traded Juan Soto to the Yankees in exchange for four different arms and a backup catcher. Michael King is the headliner of the trade and shouldn’t be viewed as just a throw-in. King is damn good and should be viewed as a prized asset in this deal.
I’ve been high on King for a long time. I don’t know if anyone watched more minor league baseball than I did when King was in the minors. He dominated during that 2018 season and I knew the day would eventually come when King would become a premier arm teams coveted.
Here is a challenge for you. Go watch the final nine starts for King to close out the 2023 MLB Season and explain to me why that guy can’t pitch. I’ll wait. You won’t because you can’t. When King shifted to the rotation to close the season, the former Boston College product posted a 2.23 ERA in 40.1 innings. King also sported a 11.4 K per 9 rate and held hitters to an OBP of .284.
I think there is only room for King to grow as well by mixing up his pitch arsenal. His change up might be his best pitch holding opponents to a .104 BA last year and .100 the year prior. He throws that pitch the least amount of times out of any of the four he possesses (last year 14.5%). Having King in the rotation over a full season, I think we’ll only continue to see him improve.
The Yankees did well getting Juan Soto but the trade shouldn’t be viewed as highway robbery. King is a really good arm that contending teams should want.
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