Every offseason brings a few surprises, but this one just got interesting for teams searching for pitching help. Michael King declined his mutual option with the San Diego Padres, making himself a free agent at exactly the right time. His mix of command, movement, and poise makes him the kind of pitcher who doesn’t dominate headlines but quietly makes rotations stronger wherever he lands.
That, of course, is where the New York Mets come in. They’ve seen enough patchwork pitching to know arms like King don’t linger long on the market. But before anyone starts picturing him in orange and blue and dreaming about October nights in Queens, there’s a catch.