SAN DIEGO — About 10 days ago, Michael King started combing through the Padres schedule to see if he could actually play against his old team.
King might have gotten that exact wish hadn’t rained out in Atlanta last weekend, disrupting the rotation and delaying his start by a day.
Instead, King was looking to help out with a scouting report on his former teammate when the Yankees came to town this weekend for the first time since the right-hander was dealt to the Padres in the big Juan Soto deal.
“I was pretty disappointed. [not to be facing the Yankees]” King said Friday afternoon. “I think it would have been fun. [pitching coach Ruben Niebla]”If the game got rained out, I was begging them to change the rotation. But they’re a really good team, so maybe it wouldn’t have worked out. It would have been a big challenge, but I think it would have been fun to see all those friends in the box. But it would have been just as fun to cheer them on from the bench.”
While King was sad to leave the friendships he made with the Yankees in New York, the trade to the Padres also solidified his chances of becoming a full-time starter this season.
The Yankees moved King from relief to the starting rotation last August out of necessity due to injuries, and the right-hander thrived, posting a 1.88 ERA in eight games to end the season.
The team had planned to give him a chance to remain in the starting rotation this year, although it was not guaranteed because the Yankees were also looking for an outside starting pitcher, before making him the centerpiece of the trade that acquired Soto in December.
The trade took a few days longer than expected to complete because the Yankees were trying to figure out a way to keep King out of the team, manager Aaron Boone said Friday.
But the Padres insisted King, who turned 29 on Saturday, should be available.
“It was tough to let him go, but we also knew it was going to be a little tough to acquire a guy like Juan Soto,” Boone said before the Yankees’ 4-1 win over the Padres on Saturday night. “We feel like we did the right thing, but it’s definitely tough to part with a guy that we value as highly as we did with Michael and the other guys we acquired in the Higgy trade.” [Kyle Higashioka] and [Randy] With Vasquez [Jhony] Brito. There’s a lot to give up, but that’s Juan Soto.”
In 10 starts for the Padres, King pitched 57 2/3 innings with a 4.06 ERA, 62 strikeouts, 25 walks and 11 home runs allowed.
Among them were some starting pitchers who had overwhelming performances, such as pitching seven scoreless innings and striking out 11 batters in a game against the Dodgers on May 10, but others struggled.
“It’s definitely a learning curve getting back into the rotation,” King said. “Obviously I want to be a starter and I still feel like I’m a starter. It’s nice to be a starter. I give a lot of credit to pitching coach Ruben. He’s coached five Cy Young Award winners. He knows how to manage and build a full season. The lesson I learned as a starter is you have to get out of the bullpen mentality or take a different approach of just doing the best you can to make sure your team has a chance to win. I think that’s what bothered me a little bit.”
One of the biggest adjustments for King has been learning how to settle in when he gives up runs early, because as a relief pitcher, allowing a run could have ended the game.
King is getting used to the slower pace of life in San Diego and is also making adjustments off the field.
He misses his friends, the Italian food of New York and being close to family, but he also welcomes the chance to become a full-time starter, something he’s always wanted.
“Obviously, I enjoyed my time with the Yankees a lot,” King said.[The trade] It was bittersweet at the time, but now it’s a fantastic opportunity.”
