The Michael King warning sign the NY Mets can’t ignore

Free agent Michael King is, for many, a part of the Tarik Skubal backup plan. Is it because fans actually like what he can do or does he come up in New York Mets offseason conversations because of how familiar we already are with him? Pitching for the New York Yankees followed by his inclusion in the Juan Soto trade made him more well-known than your average San Diego Padres pitcher.

Since the trade away from the Yankees, King has performed at a high level. He has gone 30-22 with a 3.15 ERA in his three seasons there. He did miss half of the 2025 campaign, but that’s always the risk with pitchers.

Superior at run prevention and a strong postseason arm, there is a reason to hesitate. As Foolish Baseball on X noted, King is in a class of pitchers with a warning sign the Mets mustn’t ignore.

Are the Michael King red flags too bright for the Mets to ignore?

Strikeouts aren’t everything but they surely are a big part of a pitcher’s game. The fewer balls in play, the fewer chances to get a hit. We can only fairly look at King over the last three seasons because he was a reliever four seasons ago and they typically do have a higher K% anyway. Regardless, King going from 10.4 K/9 to 9.3 K/9 to last year’s 7.7 K/9 isn’t so good especially after a year when the Mets defense was questionable across the infield.

By no means does this make King a bad pitcher or suggest he’s about to see his ERA inflate like Zac Gallen, Seth Lugo, Taylor Rogers, or Aaron Civale. What this tells us is that a long-term deal with him could have some quick consequences.

King finished in the 38th percentile of strikeouts last year and 40th percentile in walks. Other than soft contact and a low hard-hit rate, his Baseball Savant page is very average at best. It’s okay to have an average pitcher. Will King take an average contract?

A fourth or fifth year on any deal has a strong potential to age terribly. Three years might be worth the roll of the dice. So far, this is the limit David Stearns has set free agent pitchers at. Skubal would be one obvious exception.

At a quick glance, you might not realize the red flags with King. The ERA has remained unfazed while other trends have gotten worse.

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