Padres Aces Have Insane Competition to One-Up the Other

Padres pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King are among the best in baseball and have been key contributors to a San Diego pitching staff that ranks among the league's finest.

According to a report from MLB.com's AJ Cassavell, after King struck out 11 over five scoreless innings against the Cleveland Guardians, Cease had a little note written to him.

The note read: "To Mike -- Great game! 11 Ks!!! Wow! Keep up the good work, signed Dylan Cease (1 no-hitter."

This kind of playful message seems to be a regular occurrence for King and Cease, who have a relationship based on respect and admiration.

“He’s such an elite pitcher,” King said of his rotation mate.

“There are so many things game-to-game that he did way better than me -- or that I did better than him. We always try to make sure the other person knows. ... It's stupid stuff like that.

"But the thing is it's such a healthy relationship, because I know that he's fighting for me. If I go seven shutout [innings], I know he's trying to go eight shutout."

So far in 2025, King has been the superior pitcher based on ERA, with a 2.57 compared to Cease's 6.04, although their expected ERA figures are quite close.

Additionally, Cease has a 0.7 WAR while King has a 0.6 WAR.

The competition between both pitchers seems to be in a healthy place, given their experience with other teams and the potential for teammates to have bad chemistry.

“There are times you know there are teammates that are rooting against you,” King said.

“It’s not a fun atmosphere to be in. I’ve seen that and have played with certain teammates that do that. We’re obviously competing against each other, but we show each other a lot of love. We both know how hard we’re rooting for each other.”

King and Cease are both set to become free agents after this year, and given their current level of play, it will be nearly impossible for the Padres to retain both on the roster next season.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.