Yankees Get Free Agency Update From Projected $100 Million National League Ace

The New York Yankees have an interesting recent history with the San Diego Padres as they head into the second game of their series on Tuesday. The teams were blockbuster trade partners two winters ago when the Yankees acquired superstar slugger Juan Soto in exchange for right-handed pitchers Michael King,

Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez and Drew Thorpe, plus catcher Kyle Higashioka. The Yankees enjoyed a highly productive season from Soto after that trade, which propelled them all the way to the World Series. But the Padres have enjoyed their return as well. King has emerged as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball since landing in San Diego.

He posted a 2.95 ERA in 30 starts last season and is off to a 2.09 ERA opening in his first seven starts for the Padres this year. As he continues to dominate in his final year of contract arbitration, he’s earned an impressive projection from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “Two years ago, King was a reliever for the New York Yankees.

Now he’s the best pitcher in the class,” Passan wrote, predicting that King would land a contract in excess of $100 million after this season. King will have any number of suitors if he does reach free agency and the Yankees should rank among them, given their need for another effective starter.

And amid their series with the Padres, the team has received some good news about King’s willingness to return to the Bronx. “I mean, of course,” King said, when asked if he’d be open to re-signing with the Yankees, per Fireside Yankees. “I’ve got to focus on winning (Tuesday). … Hopefully by the end of it I can have all 30 teams calling me.” Despite the Yankees’ decision to offload King just two years ago, it sounds like he has let go of any hard feelings. And that could lead to a long-term return to the mound in Yankee Stadium.

Why Is Emma Stone a Padres Fan? Uncovering the Reasons Behind Her Team Choice

Why exactly is Emma Stone a fan of the Padres

In May 2025, Emma Stone went viral for something totally unexpected: cheering at a Padres-Yankees game like her life depended on it. She wasn’t just casually watching. She was in it. Fully committed, decked out in a vintage Padres jacket, and celebrating an Aaron Judge strikeout like it was Opening Day in San Diego.

Naturally, people lost their minds. Emma is from Arizona. She doesn’t have a public history of repping baseball teams. So this sudden moment had the internet asking a very specific question: Why is Emma Stone a Padres fan?

Source: Mega

Why is Emma Stone a Padres fan? This isn’t some sudden, surface-level trend.

Emma didn’t just throw on some Padres merch for the camera. According to Sports Illustrated, she went viral in 2025 after showing up at a Yankees game and proudly celebrating in Padres gear. What really stood out to fans wasn’t just her enthusiasm; it was the jacket. It wasn’t new. It wasn’t a merch table buy. It was older Padres gear, which longtime fans immediately recognized.

This wasn’t the first time people noticed either. Back in 2023, a Reddit post showed that Padres fans had already clocked her as one of their own. At the time, fans were stunned to discover that Emma not only had Padres merch but had likely owned it for a while. That revelation made it clear: This wasn’t a fluke. Emma wasn’t just posing. She was actually a fan.

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Now, this is where things get confusing. Emma was born in Arizona. Turns out, her connection to the Padres has more to do with love than geography. She’s married to Dave McCary, a director and former Saturday Night Live writer. According to USA Today, Dave has been a Padres fan for years. Dave grew up with the team. It’s a lifelong loyalty, the kind of fandom that doesn’t disappear when you move or change your career.

If you’ve ever been in a relationship with a sports fan, you know how this goes. What starts as tagging along “just for fun” becomes part of the routine. Eventually, you’re celebrating playoff wins and learning the players’ names without even trying. For Emma, it seems like rooting for the Padres became something she and Dave did together.