New York Mets held video meeting with impact starting pitcher

The New York Mets are in search of a top of the rotation starting pitcher this winter.

Sep 9, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) delivers during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

ORLANDO - The annual MLB winter meetings have been slow thus far.

However, the Mets are working hard behind the scenes to try to improve their ballclub this offseason.

According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, the Mets held a video meeting with free agent right-handed starting pitcher Michael King.

"These are not uncommon, and King had video meetings with more than just the Mets, but this exemplifies a level of seriousness between the parties," Sherman wrote.

Mets On SI reported over the weekend that the Mets have shown interest in King. Now, The Post is reporting that they've met with him on a video call.

Source: Mets showing interest in Michael King

King, 30, spent the past two seasons with the San Diego Padres after being included in the blockbuster deal that sent Juan Soto to the New York Yankees in December of 2023.

King will turn 31 during the 2026 season and the expectation is that he will sign a three or four year deal on the free agent market. This is something that the Mets would likely be comfortable doing given they're reluctant to go long-term on a starting pitcher in their thirties.

The only catch with King is that he rejected the Padres' $22.05 million qualifying offer, meaning the Mets would have to surrender draft pick compensation in order to sign him. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has stayed away from players in this category in the past.

However, King has proven to be able to pitch under the bright lights in New York, having spent five seasons with the Yankees from 2019-2023. During this span, the right-hander posted a 3.38 ERA in 115 appearances.

King was limited to just 15 starts with the Padres in 2025 due to shoulder and knee inflammation. That said, the righty had a superb 2024 campaign, producing a 13-9 record, 2.95 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 3.33 FIP and 201 strikeouts in 173.2 innings (31 appearances, 30 starts).

The addition of King would substantially boost a Mets rotation that crashed and burned a season ago. As it currently stands to project, rookie phenom Nolan McLean leads the group with Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes. Youngsters Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong and Christian Scott are key depth pieces for the Mets.

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