Right-hander Michael King, 28, who wore a San Diego Padres uniform through a trade, expressed strong confidence.
In an interview with the New York Post reported on the 23rd (Korea Standard Time), King said, “I will continue to praise A.J. Preller (the Padres general manager), and I can say with confidence that the Padres won.”
King moved from the New York Yankees to the Padres in a trade in early December.
San Diego recruited four pitchers and catcher Kyle Higashioka along with King, including Drew Thorpe, Johnny Brito and Randy Vazquez, on the condition of giving up two outfielders, Juan Soto and Trent Grisham.
“Whenever I see players traded with me, I’m shocked that the Yankees have given up so many players. Of course, you have to pay a lot to get a player like Juan Soto. But I couldn’t help but get excited to see the players I moved with. They are players who will continue to contribute to the team not only this year but also in the future,” King said. “The trade will be more beneficial for San Diego.”
“I don’t know Thorpe very well, but I watched his throwing video and I can tell from his record that he will be a very good player. Brito and Vazquez are friends who have no limits. I have watched them grow. They are really amazing in ball power,” he said, expressing his expectations for his teammates who moved together.
He highly praised his teammates, but the player San Diego expects the most from this trade is King. He is a pitcher who is likely to contribute to the starting rotation right away this season.
Having played as a long reliever, he played 104 2/3 innings, the most since his debut in the 2023 season, with four wins, eight losses and a 2.75 ERA, showing growth potential as a starting pitcher.
“In the new team, you probably have more opportunities to start. That’s what I wanted,” he said, adding meaning to the fact that he was given the opportunity to start.
“I’m so excited to start a new chapter in my career as a starting pitcher. I’m constantly talking with the club about what they expect from me and what they want me to expect. I’ll continue to throw with heavy responsibility,” he added.
He called the trade that he moved in “a deal that San Diego won,” but that doesn’t mean he demeaned Soto, who traded him and the team 마카오토토.
He called Soto “the top three players in the current baseball world” and predicted that he would “be a duo to watch with excitement throughout the season” with Aaron Judge.
As it is a trade that exchanges the present and the future, we will have to wait and see who will be the winner between the two teams.
In the short term, this can be confirmed in the three consecutive games between the two teams in San Diego from May 25 to 27.