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The San Diego Padres seem poised to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers for a spot in the World Series once again this season.
After getting just one win away from a bid for the National League Championship Series last fall, the team has surged to a 27-15 start going into Friday, sitting just one game behind the powerhouse Dodgers for first place in the National League West division.
The team is enjoying a Most Valuable Player Award caliber season from Fernando Tatis Jr., strong contributions from Manny Machado in his 14th big-league season, and a solid follow-up campaign from sophomore sensation Jackson Merrill. But perhaps its greatest strength is the pitching staff.
The team's bullpen has one of the lowest ERA marks of any team and is tied for the Major League Baseball lead with 16 saves so far. And the starting staff has been even more impressive, with Michael King, Randy Vasquez, Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease leading the way.
But with two of those names set for major free agency negotiations at the end of this season, the Padres have had an important decision to make.
Both Cease and King are in their final years of arbitration eligibility and will seek hefty, long-term contracts after this season if they aren't extended first. The Padres could ultimately let both of them walk or find a way to keep them both, but Jon Heyman of the New York Post has reported that the team is targeting King alone.
"The Padres are hopeful of re-signing one of two star free-agent starters — and word is the one they'll likely target is Michael King," Heyman wrote. "King is a star now but he'll likely cost less than Dylan Cease due to Cease's total track record. Cease is back on his game thanks to a dominating slider."
It might come as a surprise to hear that King will come at a lower cost than Cease, given the current season. King has maintained a 2.32 ERA with 56 strikeouts in his first nine starts, while Cease has been hit for a 4.60 ERA with 58 strikeouts in his first nine starts.
Last season yielded similar results. But Cease has long been seen as one of the best swing-and-miss pitchers in baseball, making at least 32 starts in each of the last four seasons. Meanwhile, King became a first-time starter last year and hadn't made 10 starts in a season up to that point.
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