For right-handed pitcher Michel King, it wasn’t supposed to be this way. He was supposed to pitch 200 innings for the San Diego Padres this year, then hit the market to get a big deal and return to his East Coast roots.
Instead, King got hurt. He needed thoracic outlet surgery to correct an impingement in his shoulder, and King hurt his knee during rehab. He didn’t pitch enough to prove he was worth a big contract, so now he’s back in San Diego on a three-year deal that’s really a one-year contract in disguise, with multiple options available if King struggles with his health again.
“Yeah, obviously, injuries stink,” King said in an article written by Dennis Lin of the Athletic. “I was not happy with my lack of innings. They trusted me to be the Opening Day starter. Opening Day starters go 200 innings, you know? And unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do that. And unfortunately, we were bounced in the first round of playoffs.
“And I think that plays a lot into the competitive nature of me keeping a chip on my shoulder and making sure that I prove that I’m the pitcher that (GM A.J. Preller) believes in, that I believe in, that (pitching coach Ruben Niebla) believes in, and ultimately go out there and win a lot of playoff games.”
For Preller, resigning King represents an opportunity to salvage a struggling staff that has already lost right-hander Dylan Cease to injury. He was able to get creative, which is he’ll have to do a lot more of this year with the Padres up for sale.
“Michael obviously grew up on the East Coast, went to school there, and that was where his priority was,” Preller noted. “But when you hear things like, ‘Hey, the one West Coast team that he wants to play for is the Padres’ … that’s nice to hear.”
King knows he can put himself back in the driver’s seat with a big year, and he also knows the value of pitching, along with what his presence can mean if he rebounds.
“I always say starting pitching wins championships, and I hate to say this, but you saw it with the Dodgers this year,” King said. “You know, they put their starters in the bullpen (in the postseason), and they absolutely dominated. So, it’s got to be a full team effort with the starting rotation that ultimately sets the tone for every game.”