Brian Cashman Sparks Yankees Off-Season Buzz with Potential Michael King Reunion
The arms race in the American League East is heating up, and New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman finds himself at a pivotal crossroads as the 2026 season approaches. With ace Gerrit Cole, right-hander Clarke Schmidt, and lefty Carlos Rodon all sidelined due to surgeries, the Yankees’ pitching depth is in urgent need of reinforcement.
A Familiar Face in the Market
In light of this situation, MLB.com’s Will Leitch suggests that Cashman should explore the possibility of reuniting with right-hander Michael King, who has recently entered free agency after opting out of his contract with the San Diego Padres. King, once a promising pitcher for the Yankees, is now a hot commodity on the market following a season that showcased his potential.
Leitch highlights the irony in King’s departure from New York, where he was part of a package deal for superstar Juan Soto two years ago. “If you get a chance to trade for Juan Soto, you have to do it, even if there’s a possibility that he might leave at the end of the season,” he notes. The decision to include King in that trade, while understandable, has turned into a point of frustration for the Yankees as he has blossomed into a formidable starter in San Diego.
King’s Market Value
After opting out of a $15 million deal with the Padres, King has chosen to pursue free agency, accepting a $3.75 million buyout instead. While San Diego extended a qualifying offer of $22.05 million, King declined it, which means that any team looking to sign him will need to provide draft-pick compensation to the Padres.
Experts predict that King could secure a lucrative contract in the range of three years and between $57 million and $75 million. Various analysts, including ESPN’s Jeff Passan and The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, have identified teams such as the Yankees, Padres, Baltimore Orioles, and several others as potential landing spots for the right-hander.
A Season to Remember
In the 2023 season, King dealt with a shoulder injury but still managed a respectable 5-3 record with a 3.44 ERA over 15 starts. More impressively, his first full season in San Diego in 2024 saw him achieve a career-high 13 wins and a personal best of 173.2 innings pitched. This performance earned him a seventh-place finish in the National League Cy Young Award voting, a testament to his development as a pitcher.
King made his major league debut with the Yankees in 2019 and spent five seasons in the Bronx, where he compiled a solid 3.38 ERA in 115 appearances. He notably excelled in 2022 and 2023, posting sub-3.00 ERAs of 2.29 and 2.75, respectively, before his transition to the Padres.
As the Yankees look ahead to the 2026 season, Cashman’s pursuit of King could signal not just a return to form for the pitching staff but potentially reshape the landscape of the AL East. The prospect of bringing back a familiar face like King adds an intriguing layer to the Yankees’ off-season strategy.
