Padres Reportedly Make Contract Decision On Michael King Dylan Cease…
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.
San Diego Padres Nick Pivetta’s free agent signing has gone perfectly..
Since departing Boston, his pitching career is trending upward.
The Friar Faithful was initially stunned by the news of the San Diego Padres signing starting pitcher Nick Pivetta to a four-year/$ 55 million free agent deal. Now, they are more intrigued by him becoming a mainstay in the starting rotation.
Time for a change
Pivetta is considered slightly better than a journeyman starting pitcher. He has made 186 career starts but only two double-digit winning seasons in his 10-year major league career. The right-hander needed to make a dramatic change. Becoming a free agent for the first time allowed him to choose an organization based on mutual interest.
No one expected him to leave the Boston Red Sox last offseason. He had been a mainstay in their rotation since 2021. The Red Sox acquired Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox to become their No. 1 starter. The front office focused on signing their new ace to a long-term deal. It became impossible for Pivetta to gauge their interest in re-signing him.
The Padres were not the only team interested in signing Pivetta. The Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds met with him, but the Padres offered the most promising situation. The front office was honest about how they intended to utilize him in the rotation.
It was enough for Pivetta to say goodbye to Boston and hello to San Diego.
Trust the analytics provided
Pivetta’s early-season success relies on executing his pitching repertoire. It starts with the four-seam fastball (thrown 51%) followed by his sweeper (thrown 19%), and before you know it, a batter is walking back to the dugout.
