Yankees could bring in a top free agent pitcher familiar with playing in their iconic uniform.

Billy Heyen

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Yankees may sign star free agent who already knows what it's like to pitch in pinstripes image

TL;DR

  • Yankees have many hitters, so a starting pitcher is a better free agency target.
  • Michael King, previously traded for Juan Soto, is available and familiar with the Yankees.
  • King has performed well for the Padres and could be a valuable addition to the Yankees' pitching staff.
  • A reunion with King would be a sensible move for the Yankees, who need starting pitching.

The New York Yankees are always expected to be a factor in free agency.

This offseason, however, the Yanks possess an abundance of hitters. A bat is likely unnecessary. Therefore, if funds are being expended, allocating them to a starting pitcher could be a sensible decision.

Fittingly, there's a player available who is well-known to the Yankees: Michael King.

In 2023, the Yankees sent King to the San Diego Padres as part of the trade for Juan Soto. He's played there for the last few seasons, but it doesn't appear he'll be re-signing with them this offseason.

MLB.com's Will Leitch thinks a Yankees reunion with King could make a lot of sense.

"Look, if you get a chance to trade for Juan Soto, you have to do it, even if there’s a possibility (and it turned out to be an inevitability) that he might leave at the end of the season," Leitch wrote. "You can’t blame the Yankees for putting King in their Soto package two years ago, but it still had to be frustrating to see him go from a solid pitcher in the Bronx to essentially an ace in San Diego. The Yanks, who could use starting pitching (like everybody else, of course), have a chance to bring King back, and they could certainly use him. Even better: If they sign him, we can all feel reasonably certain they will not trade him for Soto again."

King has battled injuries in recent years, so he's not a 100% sure thing. 

But when King has been on the mound for the Padres, his stuff has been as filthy as ever, from his hard, tailing fastball to his sweeping breaking ball.

The Yankees are hoping to have Gerrit Cole back early in the 2026 season, and Max Fried is around for the long haul.

Beyond King, New York possesses additional strong pitching prospects, but he'd be a guaranteed success. Furthermore, he'd be intimately familiar with the experience of competing in pinstripes.

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Staff Writer