The Toronto Blue Jays enter another crucial offseason, knowing they need to add to their roster if they want to return to the World Series. In 2025, their season ended at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers in one of the most heartbreaking ways possible.
The 2026 season didn’t go the way anyone envisioned, making the entire campaign disappointing. The starting rotation was frequently plagued by injuries, so the organization will need to find arms that can stay healthy and provide consistency.
“Some injuries, you can see coming. When the 42-year-old Max Scherzer runs into a few IL stints, no one should be surprised. When José Berríos has Tommy John surgery after not missing a start for nearly a decade, it’s terribly unfortunate, but we all understand the realities of baseball and the limitations of the human elbow. The Blue Jays are trying to find that line now between bad luck and controllable variables,” MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson wrote.
The Blue Jays might look to add a starter or two to pair with Dylan Cease. Michael King recently became available after opting out of his contract with the San Diego Padres.
“Right-handed starter Michael King has declined the player option on his contract with the Padres to become a free agent, sources told MLB.com on Thursday. The club has not confirmed the news on King, who will now become one of the top arms on the market entering his age-32 season,” MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell wrote.
King would be a great addition to Toronto’s rotation. Sports Illustrated’s Scott Roche believes the Blue Jays should pursue the veteran starter.
“He makes perfect sense for Toronto. He spent five seasons with the Yankees before going to the Padres in 2024, and he has been very good for San Diego. This past season, he went 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA in 32 starts with a career-high 185 innings. He had 159 strikeouts and a 4.3 WAR. Right now, the Blue Jays rotation could look like Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, Jose Soriano, and Cody Ponce. Bringing in King, he would slot in at the top, either before or after Yesavage, for manager John Schneider. Toronto has maybe bigger issues to address, but you can never have enough starting pitching, especially in the AL East,” Roche wrote.
The Blue Jays are going to need a healthy rotation, and King could help provide the stability they are looking for. He is coming off a solid campaign with the Padres and would give Toronto another experienced option at the top of its rotation.
King made $25 million with San Diego before opting out of his contract. Bringing the veteran right-hander to Toronto would give the Blue Jays one of the most talented rotations in baseball when everyone is healthy.
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