The Boston Red Sox were caught to in some red-hot rumors around the starting rotation on Sunday.

Reports surfaced, beginning with Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, pointing to interest from the organization in former San Diego Padres and New York Yankees hurler Michael King. Abraham reported that the Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Baltimore Orioles were competing for King with a decision expected “soon.”

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“Sources: Red Sox, Yankees, and Orioles are competing for Michael King and the RHP from BC hopes to make a decision soon,” Abraham wrote on Bluesky. “King, 30, was 18-12, 3.10 for the Padres the last two seasons. Profiles as the No. 2 the Sox need. We’ll see if they step up. King certainly knows the terrain of the AL East.”

Will the Red Sox add another starter?

This report certainly caught the attention of the fanbase. King could be a legit No. 2 option behind Sonny Gray and has ties to the area. He’s from Rhode Island and pitched at Boston College. He had a 3.44 ERA in 15 starts in 2025 with San Diego and a 2.95 ERA in 2024 in 31 total appearances, including 30 starts.

MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reported that King has “strong interest” in Boston.

“Per sources, Michael King remains in discussions with a number of teams on where he could sign. He has strong interest in being in Boston as a RI native who went to BC. But it’s a crowded field at this point,” Cotillo wrote on X.

The reports got the fanbase interested — and expecting a decision shortly. While this is the case, Abraham slightly walked back his initial report and noted that a decision is expected “not necessarily soon.”

“Update on this: Decision is not necessarily soon,” Abraham wrote on Bluesky.

So, to sum up, Boston reportedly has interest in King, along with some competition in the American League East. There was a time when it sounded like a decision could be imminent, but Abraham changed his tune there. Regardless, this is a market to watch. When you have multiple prominent Red Sox insiders pointing towards a specific player, that raises eyebrows.

Boston has added two starters already this offseason. The club doesn’t necessarily need another starter. Someone like King wouldn’t hurt, but Boston needs offense more than anything.

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