Yankees Never Made Offer to Padres Starter

The New York Yankees lost another top pitching target when San Diego Padres starter Michael King chose to re-sign with the club on a three-year, $75 million deal: or did they?

According to New York Post Sports columnist and MLB.com insider Jon Heyman, the Yankees never made an offer to King. King played for the Pinstripes from 2019 to 2023 before being traded in a massive deal to acquire now New York Mets slugger Juan Soto for the 2024 season.

The Yankees never made an offer to Michael King, according to @JonHeyman. pic.twitter.com/i7N1LLfeDK
— The Yankee Report (@YankeeReport_) December 19, 2025

The Yankees' starting rotation is facing some serious injuries, with both Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt requiring Tommy John surgery to repair torn UCLs. Left hander Carlos Rodón also needed offseason surgery to remove foreign bodies from his left elbow and shave down a bone spur. While Rodón's injury is less serious and he recently began throwing again and Cole is futher along in recovery, Schmidt could miss the entirely of 2026.

Neither Rodón nor Cole will be available on Opening Day, leading many to speculate that the Yankees are pursing a starting pitcher in the offseason, though manager Aaron Boone has said it's not a definite need. King spent his time on the Yankees as a reliever, but San Diego converted him to a starter with a 3.44 ERA through 15 games and 73.1 innings in 2025.

Are the Yankees Adding a Starting Pitcher?

While a reunion with King could have made sense, the Yankees certainly have other options. They're reportedly at the top of the list for Nippon Professional Baseball right-hander Tatsuya Imai, who has been made available for MLB teams for the first time. New York has also been linked to big names like the Miami Marlins' Sandy Alcantara and Detroit Lions superstar Tarik Skubal.

While the number of available players continues to dwindle, the Yankees have some big holes to fill. They're reportedly in the process of working on a big deal to bring back outfielder Cody Bellinger (though not close enough to the number he's looking for.) The Pinstripes are also in dire need of more closing depth after Devin Williams and Luke Weaver both departed for the New York Mets in free agency.

A starting pitcher would definitely help enrich the Yankees, especially in the beginning of the season, even if Boone says the team doesn't have the explicit goal of adding to the rotation. Only one thing is for certain, that starter won't be King.

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