Padres' Michael King loves life with 'Yankee West,' but misses New York

SAN DIEGO — As Michael King looked around the Padres clubhouse at the start of spring training, his eyes kept landing on familiar faces.

King had been traded to San Diego in the blockbuster deal that sent Juan Soto to the Yankees in December. The Padres also acquired Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez and Kyle Higashioka in the trade. While San Diego traded Thorpe to the White Sox in March, the team also employs former players Wandy Peralta and Tyler Wade.

“There's a lot of guys I played with on the Yankees,” King said Friday with the Bombers in San Diego for a three-game series. “In spring training, a few people called us Yankee West because we had so many former Yankees players. So it was a comforting locker room to walk into.

Months later, King remains comfortable with the Padres.

He remains the starter after a successful transition to the Yankees rotation late last season, recording a 4.28 ERA in 61 innings. He has also adapted well to his new city.

“It’s totally different,” the right-hander said. “There’s a different pace of life, I would say. But the team was great. It's almost like a vacation every time I come home. You have the beach, you have perfect weather. So it’s definitely a different lifestyle, but I love it so far.

That said, King misses some things about New York, including its energy, the friends he made, and the food he ate.

“The food in New York was really, really good,” said King, a native of the Empire State. “I love Italian and I feel like there aren’t as many Italian places here.”

While King can't do much about it, he said he spent time with a few of his former teammates Thursday night. He planned to meet others, including Yankees bullpen coach Mike Harkey, on the field this weekend.

King was originally scheduled to face the Yankees in this series, but a recent rain delay forced the Padres to adjust their rotation. This left King “pretty disappointed.”

“I think it would have been fun,” he said. “I was begging to change the rotation once the rain fell, but they’re a really good team. So maybe it wouldn't have gone so well. It would have been a nice challenge, but it would have been fun to see a lot of my friends in the dressing room. It will be just as fun to face them from the dugout.

King added that he was able to help the Padres in another way, helping with scouting reports before the series. He keeps tabs on his former teammates, especially his friends, and the meticulous note-taker hopes to give the Padres a boost with his insight.

However, he believes the first-place Yankees are a “complete team.” He knows his peers have a tough task ahead in their lineup.

“It’s definitely a tough lineup to put together,” King said.

Soto is a big reason for that, as the superstar was hitting .312/.409/.563 with 13 homers and 41 RBIs before Game 1. He's been everything the Yankees could have dreamed of, but Aaron Boone said parting ways with King wasn't an easy choice after he posted a 2.23 ERA as a starter last season.

“I think the trade will probably end up taking a few days longer than it could have just because we were kind of reluctant to give up Michael King,” the manager said. “Obviously we think very highly of him. I know he's doing well there. Not surprising. It was hard to let him go, but we also understood that it was going to hurt a little bit to have a guy like Juan Soto. We think we did the right thing, but it's definitely hard when you part ways with someone that we feel as much as we do for Michael and, frankly, for the other guys that they've signed.

“It was a lot to give up, but Juan Soto.”

Meanwhile, Yankees advisor Omar Minaya told the Daily News that King was expected to participate in the deal. San Diego insisted on it, and Padres general manager AJ Preller made sure King knew he was wanted when the two spoke after the trade.

This made King feel appreciated as he settled into his new digs.

“I guess there’s a lot of flattery,” King said. “I know there are a ton of other pieces to this business that we also hope to fully realize, not just this year, but in the future for us. So I definitely felt respected when I came to talk to the front office and the coaching staff here.

“Obviously, I loved my time with the Yankees. So it was bittersweet at the time, but now it's just a great opportunity.