Why Mike Shildt chose Michael King as Padres Opening Day starter

PEORIA, Ariz. — San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt not only used what he saw from Michael King this spring to help make his Opening Day decision but also what King showed the Friars in his first season and postseason with the franchise.

King, traded from the New York Yankees in the deal that sent outfielder Juan Soto to the Bronx before the 2024 season, was told on Monday he would be making his first career Opening Day start. The start on March 27 against the Atlanta Braves is a big jump for the 29-year-old right-hander who is coming off a seventh-place finish in the National League Cy Young Award voting following his first MLB season pitching primarily as a starter.

"We lost a known commodity and multi-generational talent in Juan and the return was an Opening Day starter a year later and a guy that helped us get to and win playoff games," Shildt said.

King went 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA in 173.2 innings over 30 starts (31 games) and started San Diego's first postseason game against the Braves in the NL wild-card round. 

The competition for the Opening Day start was fierce within the Padres clubhouse, with King edging out Dylan Cease and Yu Darvish to earn the honor.

While Darvish has three Opening Day starts for the Padres under his belt (including last season), Shildt said on Monday that the 38-year-old right-hander was feeling "general fatigue" and couldn't rule out the possibility that it would impact Darvish's first regular-season turn through the rotation.

Meanwhile, Cease, who finished fourth in last year's NL Cy Young balloting, will likely draw the second start of the season. Shildt admitted on Monday that the decision between the two was a tough one to make, but the schedule may have given King a slight edge.

"We had a two-horse race, and then it literally fell into just the way the days had gone," Shildt explained. "Michael was a little sick early in camp, and got his schedule going in a certain way, then Dylan got his schedule going a certain way. The schedules have worked out really well, but it lines Michael up, who's well deserving of the Opening Day starter."

King smiled when asked about it being a decision that likely could have gone either way between him and Cease.

"I would not have been upset if it was Dylan or Darvish or (Nick) Pivetta or whoever he chose," King said. "He's got a lot of guys that he could choose from. It's that same internal competition that we all have. I'm going to hope to set the tone and then tell Dylan and try to do better than that. And that'll be that way throughout the whole year."

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.