The Mets are heading into the winter with a clear need on the mound, and Michael King suddenly looks like the kind of arm that fits the assignment.
Less than a day after the World Series wrapped up, King opted out of the final two years of the three-year, $75 million deal he signed with the San Diego Padres in December 2025. That move put the right-hander on the market, where he is expected to draw plenty of attention as one of the most coveted free agents available.
It’s easy to see why. King just turned in a career year for San Diego, going 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA, 159 strikeouts and a 1.18 WHIP over a career-high 185 innings in 32 starts.
He also gave the Padres huge postseason outings, including a Game 1 NL Wild Card Series start in which he kept the Chicago Cubs hitless through the first 6 1/3 innings and punched out eight. He followed that with another scoreless stretch against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the NLDS, holding them hitless through the first 4 2/3 innings.
Even with San Diego falling in four games to the eventual World Series champion Brewers, King was a major reason the Padres reached the postseason for a third straight year.
For the Mets, the timing could not be better. After a second straight disappointing season and a last-place finish in the NL East for the first time since 2003, New York has work to do, and starting pitching sits near the top of the list. The club is expected to chase an ace this winter, with Tarik Skubal looming as the headline name, but King would also make a lot of sense.
Entering 2027, the Mets appear to have three rotation spots lined up with Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Zac Thornton. McLean is coming off a career-high 31 starts in 2026 and has the look of a No. 1 starter. Scott and Thornton flashed promise, but both come with questions: Scott is still early in his big-league career and had his first season cut short by Tommy John surgery, while Thornton made only 15 starts last year.
That’s where King fits. If New York landed him, the cleanest setup would be to pair him at the top with McLean rather than ask Scott and Thornton to carry too much too soon. King’s track record and durability make that alignment feel far safer.
Spotrac projects King for a five-year deal worth nearly $150 million, and there’s little reason to think the Mets won’t be in that conversation. Their rotation let them down again last season, which makes a hard look at the free-agent pitching market inevitable. King is the sort of addition who could change the shape of that group fast.
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The timing matters as much as the talent. Posting is expected to open in early November, and clubs will have just a 45-day window to strike a deal before the possibility of a lockout shuts the process down, which could add urgency for a Mets team that may want pitching help fast. In a crowded field, New York will have to decide how aggressively to push for Taira before the calendar turns and the market gets even tighter. [Read more 🡒]