Michael King spent five years with the New York Yankees, playing on teams with Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton. However, King stated that the 2025 edition of the San Diego Padres is the best team he’s ever been on.
On Saturday, the 30-year-old was activated from the 60-day injured list. The day before, King spoke with the media and took an indirect jab at the Yankees while discussing how much the Padres improved ahead of last month’s MLB trade deadline.
“If you’re looking at even our team last year or any team I’ve been on, it’s the best bullpen I’ve been a part of, best rotation I’ve been a part of, probably best lineup I’ve been a part of,” King told reporters (h/t Sporting Tribune’s Marty Caswell). “When you have all three of those guys working, it’s a pretty tough force. The excitement for me to actually be a part of it is definitely real.”
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Rather than make minor moves to tweak the squad, San Diego pushed for a World Series this season, adding players like Mason Miller from the Athletics and trading for the Baltimore Orioles’ Ryan O’Hearn. Now the team has its sights set on winning the division and making a postseason run.
Entering Saturday’s action, the Padres are three games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers with the two sides gearing up to play six games this month that could determine who wins the NL West. Nonetheless, San Diego got a boost from the players it traded for and now has it again with King’s return.
