"At the risk of banging the Michael King drum too loudly after already featuring him in another post from earlier today, I wanted to look more at why he is a perfect fit for what the Cubs do. CI has been told that Jed Hoyer is infatuated with Japanese fireballer Tatsuya Imai, who will likely be a priority because his posting window closes on January 2, but King appears to be a very close second when it comes to their offseason wishlist. Though his fastball doesn't jump off the page, it's the way King manipulates it and the rest of his pitches that makes him so intriguing."
"As Marquee's Lance Brozdowski explained during a recent segment, the 30-year-old righty's tendency to cut the four-seam allows him to seam-shift his way into other plus pitches. Michael King is emblematic of a larger lean among sharp orgs: cut your fastball so we can "seam-shift" you into more plus pitch types. The #Cubs cut their fastballs more than *any* other team in the minors. It's a perfect match. What is "cut" and why is it so prized? pic.twitter.com/ODIHQhK5NY - Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) December 5, 2025 "So that element of cut, what it allows you to do - we're understanding so much about how air flow around the baseball affects the ball's movement," Brozdowski explained. "We're getting to the point where you can take a pitcher like Michael King and go, 'Okay, you cut your fastball: check there. So as a result of that, we can get you to five or six pitch types that are all exceptionally good in terms of how"
Reports about the Cubs and Zac Gallen were conflicting; an initial report of a multiyear deal worth $22 million annually was later contradicted and no deal has been reached. The Cubs view Japanese fireballer Tatsuya Imai as a priority because his posting window closes January 2, but Michael King is a close second on the offseason wishlist. King, a 30-year-old righty, cuts his four-seam fastball and uses that cut to seam-shift into other plus pitches. Cutting the fastball is prized because airflow around the baseball can produce multiple high-quality pitch types, a development emphasis for the Cubs.
Read at Cubsinsider
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