Why Michael King fits Chicago’s search for a top starter

David Frerker - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 11 hours ago

Regardless of what the Cubs choose to do in Free Agency, everyone can agree that they do have some moves to make if they want to truly become one of the best teams in the National League. However, unless the Cubs are willing to break out of their current mold of trying to win on a tight budget, it will be challenging for them to make the necessary moves, as players are unlikely to accept discounts knowing a potential lockout is on the horizon.

One of the Cubs' most significant areas of need heading into the winter is to upgrade the pitching staff, particularly the starting pitching, as the Cubs have some openings to address. That isn't to say their rotation was bad last season, because it wasn't; however, this team has lacked a true front-of-the-rotation arm for years, which is something they would love to have.

Cade Horton has the potential to be an ace once he rounds into form, as does Justin Steele. However, coming off an elbow injury, it's doubtful that he will return to his ace-level stuff this season. Knowing the type of arm they need, unless the Cubs go out and make a trade, adding a free agent arm could be their best option, and that is where Michael King comes into play, as he has officially opted out of his contract with the Padres.

King has had a very similar career to Colin Rea, bouncing between reliever and starter, but has now emerged as a front-line starter who would instantly improve any rotation. Gone are the days of him being a middle-of-the-rotation arm, but given his injury history, which you saw again this past season, there is plenty of risk in bringing King aboard, even if the reward will pay dividends in the end.

Taken in the 12th round of the 2016 MLB draft by the Miami Marlins, the now 30-year-old King has had an interesting career, and one that has taken a turn to make him a better pitcher. After spending three years in the Marlins organization, King was traded to the New York Yankees in 2019, where he went on to spend the next five seasons.

Looking back at those years, it is clear that King had plenty of success, but most of that success came as a reliever, as he made just 24 starts in five years with the Yankees, 20 of which came over his final two years. Despite being a relief arm during that time, King performed well, posting a 13-18 record with an ERA in the mid-3.6 range.

Those may not be considered significant numbers, but in his 20 starts with the Yankees, he began to show signs of life, as evidenced by his 2.75 ERA in 2023. Prior to the 2024 season, King was on the move once again, as he was part of the Juan Soto deal that sent Soto to the Yankees, with King heading to San Diego as part of that deal.

It was that move that changed the outlook of King's career, as the Padres not only made him a full-time starter for the first time in his career, but he also emerged as one of their more trusted arms over the past two seasons and eventually became the ace of the Padres' staff. In his first year with the Padres, King was not only durable, making 30 starts and throwing 173 innings, but he also won a career-high 13 games while posting a 2.95 ERA.

King walked 63 men during that season, which was a concern early in the year, but with a career-best 201 strikeouts, the swing-and-miss stuff that everyone was expecting from him started to emerge. Looking to build on that season in 2025, King wound up signing a one-year extension to remain with the Padres, and then went through an up-and-down year, failing to start a postseason game for the Padres.

While the overall results were strong, going 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA, King struggled to stay healthy as a shoulder injury limited him to just 15 starts and fewer than 74 innings this season. With 26 walks and 76 strikeouts in those innings, King was well on his way to another big strikeout season, but health alone is a massive question mark heading into the offseason.

Injury aside, King has proven to be a front-line starter with the Padres, making 45 starts the past two seasons and going 18-12 in those starts with a 3.10 ERA. That plays well in any rotation, and if the Cubs can swing a deal to get him into their mix, he would make a terrific top-three with what the Cubs already have.

According to initial reports surrounding baseball, King is expected to land a three-year deal, with some suggesting a four-year contract is possible. When it comes to the cost, many believe he will earn $20-25 million per season.

Therefore, look for a three-year contract worth $75 million to be on the low end, with the possibility of him topping $100 million should he sign a four-year deal. That is an extremely rich deal for the Cubs when it comes to a starter, but compared to what the market has been, King would be a discount, which plays right into Jed Hoyer's hand.