The New York Yankees kicked off their offseason by letting go of a whole group of players. One of the players who was a part of that transaction was starting pitcher Domingo German. New York ended what was a tumultuous seven-year tenure with the team. With German no longer on the team, this now creates a need for the Yankees to add to their rotation. In this situation, the Yankees don’t need to sign or trade anybody. Instead, they just need to look at their current roster and slot Michael King into the rotation in 2024.
King Has Been Mostly A Bullpen Arm With A Few Sporadic Starts
Embed from Getty ImagesMichael King isn’t a stranger to being a starting pitcher. He made starts sporadically during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. However, the Yankees have mostly used him out of the bullpen. Aaron Boone started to trust him for multiple innings and in high-leverage situations during the 2022 season. However, King injured his elbow and was forced to miss the rest of that season. Prior to his injury, King was 6-3 with an ERA of 2.29 and a FIP of 2.31 in 51 innings pitched.
Michael King Returned Nicely From Injury This Season
Embed from Getty ImagesKing would make his return in 2023 and pick up right where he left off. Working primarily out of the bullpen, King made 40 appearances and was 3-4 with an ERA of 3.08 along with 76 strikeouts. He also registered six saves. King’s ability to still be effective had to have been one of the few highlights of a dismal season for New York.
An Injury Or Otherwise Ineffective Rotation Outside Of Gerrit Cole
Despite Gerrit Cole having a Cy Young-worthy season, the same could not be said about the rest of the starting rotation. Luis Severino, Carlos Rodon, and Nestor Cortes were either injured or ineffective. Meanwhile, a little over a month after throwing baseball’s 24th perfect game, Domingo German would be shut down in August due to his ongoing problems with alcohol. This also involved a clubhouse incident that led to a confrontation with Aaron Boone. German wouldn’t pitch again in 2023.
Michael King Was An Effective Starter Late In The 2023 Season
Embed from Getty ImagesWith the rotation being ravaged by injuries or other issues, New York opted to try to use Michael King as a starter. After all, one of the positives of a lost season is it allowed the Yankees to experiment. King took the opportunity and ran. In nine starts, Michael King was 1-4 with an ERA of 2.23 and he also had 51 strikeouts. He also had two quality starts during that time. Not bad for a pitcher who had an elbow injury the year before and was primarily a reliever.
King Deserves A Rotation Spot In 2024
Embed from Getty ImagesDespite not initially being pegged as a starter, Michael King was a very effective one. This should give the Yankees the confidence to place in the starting rotation next season. Given the other roster needs the team must address, the Yankees should want to solve the problem from within. With how well he did late in the year; King deserves the opportunity to open the 2024 season in the starting rotation.
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