When Michael King was traded, the Yankees knew the pitcher they were giving up, and despite everything that’s happened since, the deal was one they simply had to make.
A beloved reliever who showed flashes of being a dominant starter towards the end of his tenure in the Bronx, King has been dearly missed due to his wide array of nasty pitches. Will Warren had been generating some comparisons to the Padres’ star pitcher, but an ugly 2024 season caused him to draw the ire of most fans. The Yankees have opted for the more patient approach, one that has allowed them to churn out pitchers such as King himself under Matt Blake and Sam Briend.