"King is coming off an injury-shortened season in which he was limited to 15 starts. A nerve issue in his throwing shoulder proved a lot more irritating than initially expected and wound up costing him two and a half months. He also had a minimal injured list stint due to knee inflammation. King looked shaky when he returned in September, allowing 10 runs with a modest 11:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 15 2/3 innings."
"A fully healthy version of King is one of the best pitchers in MLB, though. He finished seventh in NL Cy Young balloting during the 2024 season. King turned in a 2.95 earned run average across 173 2/3 innings in his first full season as a big league starter. He was out to an even better start this year, working to a 2.59 ERA with a 28% strikeout rate over 10 appearances before the nerve injury."
"There wasn't any structural damage. King finished the season healthy, though the Padres didn't trust him enough to start over Yu Darvish in an elimination game in the Wild Card Series. They were content to make him a qualifying offer, which probably would not have been the case if they felt the injury might impact him in 2026. King rejected in search of a multi-year contract. He's generally not expected to return to San Diego."
The Tigers have shown interest in free agent starter Michael King as they seek starting and relief help and lack a clear #2 behind Tarik Skubal. King missed significant time due to a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder and a brief knee inflammation IL stint, and he struggled in a limited September return. When healthy, King is an elite pitcher, finishing seventh in NL Cy Young voting in 2024 with a 2.95 ERA across 173 2/3 innings and a 2.59 ERA with a 28% strikeout rate before this year's injury. The Padres made a qualifying offer that King declined while pursuing a multi-year deal.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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