As we inch towards the end of January rosters begin to finalize to what teams will roll out in a couple months on Opening Day. Plenty of players are still on the job hunt, and many teams are looking for those last couple moves to put their roster over the edge.
For the Atlanta Braves, those needs focus almost solely on pitching. When it's all said and done, Atlanta would like to add at least one rotation piece and bullpen arm before Opening Day. We've taken a look at free agent options that could be a fit for Atlanta, but yesterday afternoon a surprise trade candidate emerged out west.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the San Diego Padres have begun to at least entertainstarting pitcher Michael King's name in trade talks this winter. This makes some sense at least given the A.J. Preller's constant desire to shake the roster up every offseason, the Padres' current ownership drama, and the fact that King is entering his final year of arbitration.
Braves should target a different trade with the Padres instead of Cease and land Michael King
Sadly, Braves country knows King all to well as we watched him carve up the Atlanta offense in the 2024 NL Wild Card game one. King has some of the nastiest stuff in the bigs when he's throwing strikes. His sinker/sweeper combo is one of the toughest battles for opposing right-handed hitters.
Last season was King's first full season in the rotation, and he did not disappoint for San Diego. He finished seventh in NL Cy Young voting thanks to his 2.95 ERA, 3.33 FIP, and 201 K in over 173 innings.
Michael King's Sinker and Sweeper Combo is DEADLY.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) December 13, 2024
Some of the filthiest overlays. pic.twitter.com/ik6mNw9J6x
Oddly enough, it's strange to see San Diego not more aggressive at reaching an extension with King after acquiring him just one offseason prior in the trade that sent Juan Soto to the Yankees. Another season like 2024 and King could be headed for a big payday next winter.
Currently, the two sides are set to go to an arbitration hearing to determine King's salary for the 2025 season. The Padres filed at $7.325 million and King filed for $8.8 million. Regardless of what he makes during the upcoming season, if the trade price is right Anthopoulos should be picking up the phone.
King ranked in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity and 81st percentile in strikeout rate via Baseball Savant. He would be the perfect Max Fried replacement (or at least as close as the Braves would be able to find) for 2025. We've heard about Anthopoulos' interest in Dylan Cease before, but it might be acquiring another star in the Padres rotation that could punctuate Atlanta's offseason.