Former Yankees Target Is Available at the Perfect Time as Bullpen Concerns Rise

The New York Yankees can fill out their bullpen with a pitcher who was solid for most of the year before having a terrible August.

Ex-Miami Marlins relief pitcher John King could be another option for the New York Yankees, who desperately need more pitching in their bullpen. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Yankees almost acquired John King in the Joey Gallo deal back in 2021, but the organization balked at adding him after reviewing his medicals. It's clear he was on their radar before, and there's a chance that, for a team looking everywhere for bullpen help, there's another opportunity to land King, seeing as the Marlins designated him for assignment this week and placed him on release waivers on Wednesday, per MLB.com's transactions log.

This season, King had a 3.99 ERA in 49.2 innings in Miami. King has never been a strikeout pitcher, relying on inducing groundballs, and that is exactly what he has done this year. King has just 33 strikeouts this season, but owns a 47.6% groundball rate. That is coming off a 2025 season in which he had a 60% groundball rate, one of the best marks in baseball.

If the Yankees do end up with King, it wouldn't be to thrust him into high-leverage situations, but that doesn't mean there isn't value there.

They desperately need those middle relief innings, especially with Fernando Cruz reportedly dealing with a partial tear of his UCL. Not to mention, most of King's 50 relief appearances this season have come in low-leverage situations (37 games), and his arm hasn't been taxed as much.

All the big horses in that Yankee pen have had some pretty significant workloads, and somebody like King could eat up a few of them, too. David Bednar will see a career high in innings (57) pretty soon. Paul Blackburn has thrown the most innings (74) he has in two years, and Brent Headrick has never had this type of workload (67) before.

Yankees would be banking on John King going back to what he was earlier this season

King was actually having a good year before a rough August for the Marlins led to them DFAing the veteran reliever.

In August, he pitched 6.2 innings and allowed 12 runs. Despite never being a strikeout pitcher, he had just one strikeout in seven appearances. Batters also hit .357 with four doubles, three homers, and an OPS of 1.263.

Heading into the month, though, King tossed 43 innings and had a 2.51 ERA. It is hard to say what has gone wrong with him recently, but if that's the pitcher they would be getting after acquiring him, that's a pretty solid add for this bullpen.

To add King to the roster, the Yankees might have to DFA someone like Justin Topa to make room. But chances are, Topa wasn't making much of an impact anyway and would similarly serve in a role to King. That said, the 31-year-old King is just more of a veteran pitcher in the league at this point.

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