Michael King makes hilarious claim abot Juan Soto’s Yankees trade

San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King revealed some behind-the-scenes talks he had with the New York Yankees management before being traded away in 2023. He was part of the trade that saw Juan Soto and Trent Grisham move to the Yankees while the pitcher, along with four other players, moved to the Padres.

While King has established himself in the Padres starting rotation, he started his MLB career as a reliever for the Yankees. After making his major league debut in 2019, the righty worked on his arsenal for a few years before asking manager Aaron Boone to give him a chance.

When he finally got his chance in the Yankees rotation, he had an impressive run of games to prove that he was capable of being a starter.

Now in his second season with the Padres, King spoke on the "Slab Lab" podcast about how he helped the Yankees trade for Juan Soto:

"The bullpen life is a different breed. And then I talked to Booney going into Spring Training of '23. I said, I'm a starter. That's why you're allowing me to flip a lineup, because I have a starter's arsenal. His first line to me was, you're too valuable in the bullpen."

"And then unfortunately we had some injuries and I went up to Booney and I'm like, 'This is it. If I struggle a little bit and I know I'm a reliever, then great, I'm a reliever. But this is the time for me to go.' And I ended up having a good 8 or 9 starts to end the year."

"And then I told them, I was like, the only way you guys got Soto is because I was built up as a starter. The Padres aren't trading for a middle reliever, you know."

Michael King has become an elite starting pitcher while Juan Soto has joined the New York Mets after a single season with the Yankees. As King continues to impress as a starter for the Padres, several Yankees fans urging the New York side to bring him back.

Padres star Michael King credits Corey Kluber for helping him develop his sweeper

Michael King and Corey Kluber spent a year together during their time with the New York Yankees, where the veteran helped King with his grip on his sweeper. The now Padres pitcher releases the grip behind his sweeper and says (via Slab Lab):

"This is Corey Kluber. So, Kluber, very soft spoken. But when he speaks you listen."

While Kluber has retired from the MLB, King has grown into an elite starting pitcher for the San Diego Padres. He is currently one of the most productive starters with a 3-0 record and a 2.57 ERA this season.