SAN DIEGO -- It's been two years since the Padres landed Francisco Mejía in a midseason trade with Cleveland, sparking the most hotly debated positional battle on the team’s roster.

Evidently that competition -- between the bat-first Mejía and the glove-first Austin Hedges -- has yet to be settled.

The Padres expect to enter the season with Mejía and Hedges again set to split time evenly behind the plate. In other words, not much has changed since Mejía was called up in September of 2018.

"As far as separation, it's still pretty evenly matched right now," Padres manager Jayce Tingler said. "I feel confident that they're both going to play. We're going to start playing matchups, and the hot hand as we get going."

Theoretically, a 60-game season should limit the wear and tear on catchers, decreasing the need for an equal split behind the plate. As such, the Padres wouldn't mind seeing Mejía or Hedges seize the job and run with it.

But according to those in attendance at the team's nightly intrasquad games, neither of the two has done so. Still, Tingler was quick to note that both have looked much better than they did during Spring Training.

"To be honest -- and I think both guys would admit it -- neither one of them was playing very well or playing up to their standard when we were in Arizona,” Tingler said. “What has changed is both guys have improved and both guys are playing well."

There's no obvious platoon for the switch-hitting Mejía and the righty-hitting Hedges. Mejía has always posted better numbers from the right side, while Hedges has recorded reverse splits throughout his career.

Thus, the starting catcher decision will be a day-to-day call for Tingler, based on that day's starting pitchers.

Internally, the Padres seem slightly more concerned about their offense than their pitching. That should leave the door open for the 24-year-old Mejía, who posted a .754 OPS last season, to win the job. Inside the organization, some would prefer that. But they also acknowledge that Mejía first must prove that he's made strides defensively.

There's no doubt that Mejía brings more value as a hitter than Hedges. But Hedges isn't merely a good defender -- he's arguably the best defensive catcher in baseball. Over the past three seasons, no one has more Defensive Runs Saved behind the plate than Hedges' 52.

Hedges' playing-time chances were handed a small boost with the rule changes for the 2020 season. In the Padres' eyes, the presence of a designated hitter makes it a bit more palatable to keep Hedges -- a career .201/.257/.360 hitter -- in their starting lineup.

Consider this: They won't be using pinch-hitters for pitchers, freeing those at-bats up for Hedges’ spot whenever necessary. Assuming Hedges bats ninth, he'll often catch five innings before his second trip to the plate -- at which point Tingler has a decision to make.

If the Padres are winning, they'll have one of the game's best defensive catchers to anchor a lockdown bullpen. If they're losing or tied, they'll have several pinch-hitter options, including Mejía himself.

The Padres have even pondered using Hedges as a defensive replacement -- a rarity for catchers, but not surprising given the imbalance in Hedges’ skill set.

For now, however, Hedges and Mejía seem destined to open the season splitting starts behind the plate. The Padres might also choose to carry Luis Torrens as a third catcher, freeing up Tingler to pinch-hit for Hedges and with Mejía more frequently.

"It's about winning ballgames," Hedges said earlier this month. "I know Franky helps this team win ballgames, and I know I help this team win ballgames. The better we are at communicating, the better we are as catchers, as hitters, as [complete] players, the better this team's going to be."