{"id":49340,"date":"2025-04-19T06:58:03","date_gmt":"2025-04-19T06:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=49340"},"modified":"2025-04-19T06:58:03","modified_gmt":"2025-04-19T06:58:03","slug":"yankees-could-bring-back-star-pitcher-they-traded-for-juan-soto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=49340","title":{"rendered":"Yankees could bring back star pitcher they traded for Juan Soto"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Yankees
Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When the New York Yankees dealt Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vazquez, Kyle Higashioka, and Drew Thorpe to the San Diego Padres for one year of Juan Soto and Trent Grisham before the 2024 campaign, it felt like an all-in move\u2014like pushing every chip to the center of the table.<\/p>\n

Soto delivered, helping New York reach the World Series for the first time in 15 long years, but there is no denying the price of that trip was steep.<\/p>\n

A Trade That Echoes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Trades like this are baseball\u2019s version of a high-stakes poker game\u2014you\u2019re banking on one hand to carry you through, and while Soto played that role brilliantly, the Yankees gave away not just depth, but potential longevity.<\/p>\n

\"Yankees
Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of all the names sent packing, Michael King now stands out as the one who might make the Yankees wonder: \u201cDid we give up too much?\u201d<\/p>\n

King was already valuable in New York, but since joining the Padres, he hasn\u2019t just taken a step forward\u2014he\u2019s sprinted into ace territory. A 2.95 ERA last year turned heads. A 2.42 ERA this year is turning stomachs, especially in the Bronx.<\/p>\n

Free Agency Beckons<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s where the story starts to twist. Despite being part of the Padres\u2019 rotation now, King could soon be back on the market. He and San Diego have a $15 million mutual option for 2026, but let\u2019s be honest\u2014that\u2019s couch change compared to what he could command on the open market.<\/p>\n

\"Yankees
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And timing might work in the Yankees\u2019 favor. Once the World Series wraps up, King might be eligible to hit free agency. Unlike last time, the Yankees wouldn\u2019t need to empty the farm system to get him\u2014they\u2019d just need to open the vault.<\/p>\n

Home Field Advantage<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s another card in the Yankees\u2019 deck: geography. According to Jon Heyman, King, a Rhode Island native, has strong East Coast ties. His wife\u2019s from New Jersey. They lived in Manhattan. In a sport where lifestyle can be as persuasive as dollar signs, that matters.<\/p>\n

Bobby Milone even highlighted Heyman\u2019s words on X: \u201cKing, an East Coast guy\u2026 is a great candidate to return to the Yankees as a free agent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Heyman<\/p>\n

“King, an East Coast guy (he\u2019s from Rhode Island) who lived in Manhattan and whose wife is from Paramus, N.J., is a great candidate to return to the Yankees as a free agent”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2014 Bobby Milone (@BobbyMilone29) April 17, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Familiar Face, New Value<\/strong><\/h3>\n

King turns 30 in May, but he\u2019s pitching like a guy entering his prime, not exiting it. He\u2019s no longer just a versatile arm\u2014he\u2019s a proven frontline starter, the kind of pitcher who could stabilize a rotation like a keel steadies a ship.<\/p>\n

The only question is whether the Yankees will prioritize rotation spending in the coming offseason. If they do, King fits the bill like a missing puzzle piece sliding back into place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baseball is full of shocking twists, which is exactly why the Yankees could potentially have a chance to bring back Michael King in a few months<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":49341,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nYankees could bring back star pitcher they traded for Juan Soto - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=49340\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yankees could bring back star pitcher they traded for Juan Soto - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Baseball is full of shocking twists, which is exactly why the Yankees could potentially have a chance to bring back Michael King in a few months\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=49340\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-19T06:58:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/avtvip-97-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=49340\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=49340\",\"name\":\"Yankees could bring back star pitcher they traded for Juan Soto - 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