It’s no secret that the New York Yankees are looking for a starter. Whether they make a trade at the deadline or over the next month remains to be seen, but there’s expected to be another arm in New York prior to the end of July.
It’s possible that the Yankees faced somebody who could be on their team at the end of July, with Michael King starting against them on Tuesday night. King was excellent during his start, allowing just two earned runs in 6.0 innings.
While he only struck out two, King’s strikeout stuff has been very good throughout the year, striking out 48 hitters in 44.2 innings. For a Yankees team that needs swing and miss stuff in their rotation, he’d be the perfect option.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Clarke Schmidt, who started the game for the Yankees, flirted with the idea of bringing him back to New York.
He said being able to compete with him again was a ton of fun, and hopefully, somewhere down the line, he and King can reunite.
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“Just being able to compete with him, play with him, was a lot of fun,” Schmidt said after the Yankees’ 12-3 win, per Newsday.
“…We’re both very competitive. It’s like playing one of your brothers in the backyard.”
King was part of the Juan Soto deal the Yankees made with the San Diego Padres two offseasons ago. He said he loves playing in San Diego. However, that doesn’t mean much to the Padres, who could look to trade him at the deadline.
“I definitely think I was given a longer leash as a starter over here,” King said. “I think that [pitching coach] Ruben [Niebla] has been incredible for my development. … He knew how to manage my innings, but also make sure that I was strong enough to get through a full season and be strong for the following year. I think [the trade] was great for my development as a starter.”
