Last week, Andy McCullough at The Athletic did one of those “if each MLB team could make one Black Friday move” things, and he landed on righty Michael King to the Cubs.
Mark Feinsand has done the same kind of exercise at MLB.com, and what do you know, he landed on the same guy to the same team:
“Cubs: Michael King, RHPEven with the return of Shota Imanaga via the qualifying offer, the Cubs are in the market for a frontline starter this offseason. King is one of the most talented arms available, and after missing a chunk of 2025 with a thoracic nerve injury and a knee issue, he could sign for fewer years than some of the other top starting pitchers.”
I share this not for its predictive or rumor value – I don’t think there’s much of that here – but instead for the reinforced reminder that, yeah, Michael King makes a whole lot of sense for the Cubs. They want to add at the front of the rotation, but very few folks believe they’ll be spending at the top of the market. So how do you get a front-of-the-rotation type arm without spending $150 million+? You have to accept some significant injury risk, as will come with King. Throw in the fact that he rejected a Qualifying Offer, and the “cost” to sign him on the non-cash side of the ledger goes up.
The Cubs reportedly do have interest in King, who is likely to have a number of suitors, including a recent report on the Tigers. The upside for the 30-year-old is what he showed when healthy the last few years: a borderline ace. The downside risk is injury-and-age-related decline chipping away at the nasty stuff, and because he’s not a premium fastball guy, maybe he becomes a whole lot more hittable. Or, worse, maybe he gets seriously injured and contributes precious few innings for the duration of whatever deal he signs.
(via FanGraphs)For me, Tatsuya Imai is still my preferred starting pitcher target for the Cubs, but King has always been number two among the free agents (I might put Sandy Alcantara in between those two if we’re including trade targets). Many of the other top free agents this year also come with questions to varying degrees, and none – save maybe Framber Valdez – have as much demonstrated upside as King. I want to see the Cubs make that play for upside, especially given their general success with pitcher health at the big league level. And if King’s situation means he comes cheaper than other options? Well, then, all the better – use the rest of the funds on the bullpen and a bat!
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