Since the excitement of the Pete Alonso signing last week, the Orioles have been quiet. It was so easy to get caught up in the excitement that it felt like we’d be getting more signings right away. Was that realistic? I guess not. But there will be more news from the Orioles this off-season, of that I am confident.
That being said, there was a bit of excitement yesterday when Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reported that the Orioles, Yankees, and Red Sox are the teams competing to sign starting pitcher Michael King. Some people took that to mean that those three teams are the finalists from which King is choosing, but The Globe later clarified that isn’t necessarily the case.
King has spent the last two seasons with Padres after starting his career with the Yankees. He was shipped to San Diego as part of the Juan Soto trade. After pitching mostly in relief for the Yankees, the Padres converted King into a starter. He has had two successful seasons with the Padres, sporting a 3.10 ERA and 3.65 FIP. He was limited to 15 starts in 2025 due to a nerve issue in his shoulder and then knee inflammation.
Signing King would be a good move for the Orioles, but it couldn’t be their only pitching move. King has had a lot of interest this offseason, but his limited time as a starter and his injury are question marks. Adding King and another pitcher like Ranger Suárez or Tatsuya Imai would make the off-season a resounding success for the Orioles. Adding just King would be an improvement, but would leave the team short in the rotation department.
Maybe this week will be the week that King and others sign. Per Abraham, King wants to make a decision soon. And the dominoes on other starting pitchers should start falling when Imai finds a team. Let’s get it all wrapped up by Christmas, shall we?
