Red Sox, Yankees Have Edge For Michael King Over Orioles (Report)

The Boston Red Sox have been connected to one of the more intriguing free agent hulers out there...

Sep 16, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Could the Boston Red Sox have another move up their sleeve to improve the starting rotation?

After acquiring Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo, this conversation started to die down across the fanbase, aside from pipe dream trade targets like Freddy Peralta and Tarik Skubal. Most of the focus out there has been -- and should be -- on the possibility of adding one, or preferably two bats to the middle of the order. Alex Bregman is still a free agent and Boston missed on Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber.

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Boston is going to have to act, or the options are going to start coming off the board. While this is the case, rumors about the starting rotation picked up steam on Sunday with insiders Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe and Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reporting interest in former San Diego Padres and New York Yankees hurler Michael King.

The Red Sox need to get moving

Abraham specifically reported that the Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Baltimore Orioles are in the mix for King.

On Monday, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal added some fuel to the Boston fire and noted that if the Orioles were to want King, they would have to pay more than Boston and New York on "Fair Territory."

“I would expect that the Orioles are really going to have to outbid the Yankees and Red Sox to get Michael King,” Rosenthal said. “I know what they’ve done is really with Alonso and (Ryan Helsley)...but they’re still not a team that necessarily is going to be considered, by Michael King at least, the way the Yankees and Red Sox are.”

That's certainly interesting, especially in the wake of Boston missing on Alonso to the Orioles. If King is willing to take less to go to Boston or New York, that could make him an intriguing fit for the Red Sox.

King would be the clear-cut, No. 2 starting pitcher behind Garrett Crochet if he were to join the organization. Arguably, he's a nice-to-have right now, though. Bregman is a need-to-have along with another slugger. If King falls into your lap, great. But the Red Sox need to get moving on offense.

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