Blue Jays Considered Strong Fit for Padres Pitcher in MLB Free Agency

Which starter from the San Diego Padres could make sense for the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency?

Jun 17, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; A detail view of a San Diego Padres hat on a glove in the dugout in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays are trying to hold on in the American League East with about a month to play, and the New York Yankees along with the Boston Red Sox are right behind them in the standings. 

While the Blue Jays haven’t played poorly of late, they have seen their lead in the AL East slip a bit with both the Yankees and the Red Sox starting to build a little bit of momentum. Toronto is still in a strong position at this point of the season, but both New York and Boston are still real threats in the division. 

The Blue Jays will be heading into a massive series against the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend in what could be a potential World Series matchup. Fortunately, Toronto will be sending their new ace to the mound to kick things off in that series, with Shane Bieber taking the mound. 

While it was just one start, the former AL Cy Young award winner looked fantastic and like he will be making a massive impact for the team. Even though they will be hoping that he performs well, a good end to the year could result in him testing free agency over the winter. 

Due to the Blue Jays having multiple starting pitchers set to be free agents already, seeing Bieber hit the open market would result in them needing to get aggressive to sign some pitchers over the winter. 

Mark Feinsand of MLB recently wrote about Toronto being a potential fit for San Diego Padres right-hander Michael King. 

Does King Make Sense for the Blue Jays?

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With potentially three starters hitting free agency after this campaign and Kevin Gausman being a free agent after the 2026 season, Toronto needs to figure out what the state of the rotation is going to look like going forward. 

Since the team could need some high-end starting pitching, King would certainly fill that need. The right-hander has totaled a 2.81 ERA, but injuries have unfortunately limited him this campaign. 

When looking at what he was able to accomplish as a starter in 2024 for an entire year, it is easy to see that he can be a front-end pitcher. However, durability will be brought into question after missing a lot of time in his what would be his second full season as a starter. 

It will be interesting to see the type of contract that King is going to get over the winter. The high-end upside is certainly there, but there are some concerns as well. For the Blue Jays, pursuing the right-hander wouldn't be too surprising.