Michael King's move to re-sign with Padres leaves Blue Jays' rivals out in the cold

The Toronto Blue Jays were only ever tangentially connected to Michael King in free agency, and any rumors suggesting a fit quickly died down after the team signed King's now-former teammate Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal.

However, King was a very popular name on the market for other pitching-needy teams, with some reports suggesting that the three finalists for his services were a trio of AL East squads: the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, and the Baltimore Orioles.

Of course, King ultimately returned to the San Diego Padres on a opt-out-riddled contract, removing one of the top starting pitchers from the market, and, more importantly, depriving the Blue Jays' biggest rivals from a key addition.

Blue Jays' rotation easily ranks above all other AL East teams

The Tampa Bay Rays were the lone team not mentioned in rumors for King, which makes sense given their penny-pinching habits. They already dumped All-Star Brandon Lowe and starting pitcher Shane Baz this offseason, and it may be a while before they're fully ready to compete again.

The Orioles were the team who traded for Baz, and boy was that deal a doozy. Their entire winter has been a confusing series of moves, from Pete Alonso's blockbuster contract to the bizarre Taylor Ward trade. And, even with Baz in tow, their rotation hardly stacks up to the Blue Jays' starting five of Cease, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce, and Shane Bieber.

The Yankees, meanwhile, remain deep in their offseason slumber. With Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt both recovering from elbow surgeries, and uncomfortable amount of the Bronx Bombers' 2026 hopes rest in the recovery of Gerrit Cole, who missed all of last season following his own Tommy John procedure.

The Red Sox, by virtue of employing Garrett Crochet, probably have the second-best rotation in the division, though it's still a ways off from the Blue Jays' deep group. Even with savvy trade additions Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo destined for prominent roles, they don't have the kind of frontline impact that Cease, Bieber, Gausman, and Yesavage offer.

It's clear all of those teams could have used King in some fashion or another, but they'll each have to pivot to a dwindling list of alternatives. For those wondering why Ross Atkins and the front office were so aggressive in signing Cease and Ponce early in the offseason, here's your answer.

The Blue Jays got their Plan A; everyone else will have to look towards their Plan B (or C or D).