Per Evan Petzold of Freep.com, the Tigers have interest in right-hander Michael King. King has also interest in from his old team, the Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Toronto and Miami. 

Detroit’s interest makes sense on several levels. King has shown flashes of mid-rotation quality when healthy, and his underlying metrics reflect traits the Tigers traditionally go for. 

Across 73.1 innings in 2025, King posted a 3.44 ERA with a 24.7% strikeout rate and a ground-ball tilt that hovered around 39%. His pitch mix—anchored by a heavy sinker and supported by a sweeper, slider and changeup, creates an unusual arm-angle profile. His sinker averaged 92.7 mph with a .227 expected batting average allowed, while the sweeper held opponents to a .229 expected average, both showing competitive movement profiles. King's post All-Star numbers give a bit of pause: 6.11 ERA in 17.2 innings of work. 

His four-seamer remains hittable at times, as opponents ran an expected slugging over .700 against it in 2025, but that’s somewhat expected given it functions more as a setup pitch than a finisher.

Baseball Savant Stats

The appeal for Detroit lies in how his pitch shapes stack up against the organization’s development preferences. King creates deception through a low-release approach, and his sweeper’s horizontal movement fits the Tigers’ growing bank of sweep-heavy arms. His 15.3% Whiff rate on the sinker and near-30% Whiff rate on the sweeper match the traits Chris Fetter and Robin Lund have targeted in recent acquisitions. King’s batted-ball profile also shows relatively stable year-to-year flight tendencies, including a 19.1% line-drive rate and an ability to suppress straight pull damage.

Still, there are reasons to be cautious. The workload remains light, only 15 outings last season,and durability concerns have followed him for years. King also produced negative run value on three of his pitch groups in 2025 (–3 overall pitching RV, –5 fastball, –4 breaking). Some of that reflects injury-affected stretches, but it raises questions about whether the Tigers’ staff can reliably unlock his previous form. His margin for error is thin, particularly because his arsenal relies on movement rather than overpowering velocity.

Another "Angle" 

One detail that stands out in Michael King’s Baseball Savant profile is the steady drop in his arm angle over the past six seasons, falling from 31–32 degrees early in his career to just 27 degrees in 2025. That shift isn’t cosmetic; it has meaningful implications for how his pitches behave. A lower slot naturally enhances horizontal movement, something reflected in the sharp sweep on his breaking ball and the late arm-side run on his sinker.

At the same time, it can flatten a four-seamer, which may help explain why the pitch was hit harder last season despite serving mostly as a setup pitch. For a Tigers organization that values unique pitch shapes and has had success refining lower-slot arms, King’s evolving release point could be viewed as an opportunity.

But it also introduces risk: continued drop in arm angle can place added stress on the elbow and shoulder, and it may require Detroit’s pitching group to make targeted mechanical adjustments to keep his fastball competitive.

Giving The Tigers Depth

Adding another arm who lives on feel and command may not move the needle unless Detroit believes it can sharpen a specific pitch, likely the four-seamer or slider, to give him a more consistent out pitch.

Even with those uncertainties, the Tigers have historically taken chances on arms who show data-friendly shape characteristics. King fits that mold. If the price aligns with the risk, Detroit could see him as a bounce-back candidate capable of giving them needed innings.

Check out Chris's article on Pete Fairbanks and how he would fit into the Tigers bullpen plans. 

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