Could Connection to Blake Butera Land Nationals This High-Profile Free Agent?

This is an interesting wrinkle that could benefit the Washington Nationals.

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What should be at the top of the Washington Nationals' list of priorities this winter is pitching.

Coming off a season where they finished with the worst bullpen ERA and second-worst starter ERA, massive changes need to be made across the board. The issue for them is they have multiple former and current top prospects either out with Tommy John surgery or coming back from that procedure. And following the alarming regression of both Mitchell Parker and Jake Irvin, things are a bit barren.

Because of that, it would be wise for the Nationals to dip into the free agency market and aggressively try to improve the outlook of their entire pitching staff by bringing in some notable starting pitchers alongside veteran relievers.

Someone who could be a fit for Washington is Michael King, the former reliever who was converted into a starter after he was dealt from the New York Yankees to the San Diego Padres as part of the Juan Soto deal.

Michael King Has Connection to Nationals New Manager Blake Butera

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On paper, King to the Nationals doesn't make a ton of sense. He's in his prime and is looking for a long-term commitment from some team out there, and probably from one that is ready to compete for championships. However, there is a major wild card that could come into factor if Washington is interested in adding King to their roster. And that is his connection to new manager Blake Butera.

Paul Cubbage of Federal Baseball highlighted the fact that King and Butera played two years together at Boston College. The overlap came in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, which were the last two that Butera was with the Eagles before he graduated and was selected in the MLB draft. Those were also the first two years for King, who later left following the 2016 campaign to enter into the draft.

That connection is an interesting one to uncover, but it doesn't necessarily mean Washington will have the edge when it comes to landing King this winter. They'll still have to be competitive when bidding for his services, which isn't clear if that's something they'll do.

What Could Michael King Get This Offseason?

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Spotrac has King's market value at four years and just shy of $92 million. That is a doable contract at $23 million per season, but again, how much the Nationals are willing to spend at this point in time isn't known.

Because of that, they might be hoping the market doesn't materialize for King the way he envisioned, which could cause him to take one of those short-term deals with an opt-out after the first year that has become popular as of late.

"For King, the benefit of this type of deal would be that he gets his first real payday, all while getting another chance on the open market the following offseason if he performs to his best level. He can also practically guarantee he will find himself pitching in the postseason as well, as either the Nats make a run and he remains on the club, or the team is out of the playoff race by the trade deadline and King is flipped to a contender for prospects," wrote Cubbage.

When framed that way, it makes sense why they should take a run at King to upgrade their rotation for at least the 2026 season. And if it's close between Washington and another team, perhaps the connection he has with Butera could tip the scale in favor of the Nationals.