I Really Hope A Michael King Reunion Is Not In The Cards

I liked Michael King when he was a Yankee. Truly. Fun pitcher, great story, easy guy to root for. But he’s gone, he moved to San Diego, he eats fish tacos now—I’ve moved on. As a fan, I’m not carrying a torch for an ex when the current Yankees rotation is basically a triage tent.

Because let’s not sugarcoat this with the Yankees’ usual “everything’s fine” front-office fan fiction: the pitching situation is a disaster. Gerrit Cole isn’t going to be ready for Opening Day—I can feel it in my bones, which is more than I can say for whatever medical charts Cashman keeps pretending not to read. Carlos Rodón? Also rehabbing. So, our supposed 1-2-3 punch has turned into “well… Max Fried and a couple of guys who own ice machines.”

Which brings me to the baffling topic of the week:

Why the hell are we talking about Michael King coming back?

If he’s not a top starting pitcher—and he’s not—then what are we doing here? Reminiscing? Trying to plug a crater with packing peanuts? Did Cashman lose the phone number of every other GM?

But of course, chatter is everywhere because the Yankees once again failed to meet their annual “sky-high expectations” in 2025, which we all know is front-office code for “we had no plan, and shockingly, it showed.” This offseason, the Yankees are reportedly going to be aggressive—because nothing says aggression like Brian Cashman promising the moon and landing a used lawn chair.

Enter Jim Bowden, who reported that a reunion with former Yankee Michael King is “a real possibility.” Bowden’s a good guy, but let’s be honest—half the time he says something, it’s because he threw a dart at a corkboard and hit the word “Yankees.”

Yes, King will draw interest in free agency. Sure, in theory he could slip in behind Cole, Fried, and Rodón. Maybe he even goes back to the bullpen where Aaron Boone will use him like a Swiss Army knife someone accidentally put through the wash. But again… what’s the plan here is this story has legs? Are we seriously elevating King to the No. 2 spot until Cole returns if this is a real story? Or are we just collecting mid-tier pitchers that used to be Yankees like Cashman collects excuses?

Because at this point, why stop at Michael King?

If we’re really embracing this “blast from the past, bargain-bin reunion tour,” is Sidney Ponson available? How about Jaret Wright? Maybe see if Kei Igawa still has a glove? By the way, this is sarcasm.

I like King. Really, I do. But if this is the Yankees’ grand pitching strategy, then the front office truly has no clue what planet they’re on. And until Cashman finds one with better pitching options, Max Fried might need to pitch every other day.