The market is moving, and Boston is once again standing still.
Late Thursday night, Mark Feinsand of MLB Network reported that free agent pitcher Michael King had agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth $75 million to return to San Diego, keeping him with the Padres through the end of his age 33 season.
On Sunday, MassLive’s Chris Cotillo shared a note on King, linking the righty to Boston:
“The Red Sox are among a number of teams still involved in talks with righty Michael King, a source confirmed Sunday, though there is no set timeframe for King’s decision. King, who attended Bishop Hendricken High School in Rhode Island and pitched at Boston College, has a crowded market and is sifting through possibilities. According to one source, King would ‘love to be in Boston’ but as always, it’s a matter of terms and dollars lining up.”
So as we head into yet another weekend of the hot stove season, another target of Boston’s offseason is officially off the board.
Despite missing time due to injury in 2025, King was still effective when he took the mound. Across 73 innings, he finished with a 5-3 record, a 3.44 ERA, 76 strikeouts, and a 1.20 WHIP. If he’s able to return at full strength, he profiles as a legitimate No. 2 starter in a big-league rotation - which would have immediately made the acquisitions of Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo so much more intriguing ahead of next season.
As Cotillo noted, though, the hurdle with King was always going to be what that compensation looked like. And while King inevitably did not command a long-term deal, $25 million a year over the next three years was probably a bridge too far for Boston - who has already leaked to the media that they were, essentially, done investing big dollars on arms this offseason.
Thursday night’s report on King all but confirms that this piece of reporting is, indeed, factual.
Unfortunately for Boston, the contract length for King is definitely right in the range in which this team seemingly likes. Alex Bregman’s big-money-short-term deal from last offseason was a three-year deal, and the Red Sox reportedly offered Pete Alonso an embarrassing three-year deal worth $85 million.
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But with Boston reportedly unwilling to spend into the CBT this offseason, any consternation from the Red Sox on the contract front should come as no surprise.
King was seemingly content taking a bet on himself for an even bigger pay day after the 2028 season. The Red Sox were unwilling to give him the opportunity to take that bet with his hometown team.
At some point, the Red Sox may recognize how rare this opportunity was for them, and it will probably be when King is pitching well for the Padres in postseason play over the next few years.
A high-end starter who wants to be in Boston doesn’t come around often. Meeting King’s demands would have allowed the front office to shift its full attention toward upgrading the offense, rather than continuing to circle back to the same unresolved pitching question.
And while Boston has done plenty to bolster their staff in the last few weeks, King would have truly been the capper on reshaping a staff in desperate need of depth after running out of steam in the Wild Card Round against the Yankees in October.
Instead, the short money for King remains out west, and the Red Sox forge ahead as the only team in the American League not to sign a free agent yet this offseason.
They are joined by the Rockies as the only other team across baseball not to have signed someone on the free agent market thus far.
A cold winter in Boston continues.
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.