A Cubs blockbuster feels likelier than ever after the Padres' signing of Nick Pivetta

There's no way AJ Preller and the San Diego Padres are done. Wednesday's surprise signing of free-agent right-hander Nick Pivetta to a four-year, $55 million makes no sense given the team's rumored desire to cut payroll - that is, unless more moves are coming.

The Chicago Cubs have been loosely connected to the Padres in rumors for much of the last month or so, with San Diego willing to listen on anything not bolted to the floor, including front-of-the-rotation right-handers Dylan Cease and Michael King. Recently, it seems the Friars would prefer to trade Cease over King, but Wednesday's trade may force Preller to sell more aggressively than he'd hoped.

After the Cubs came out on the short end of the Alex Bregman sweepstakes after he signed a three-year deal worth $120 million with opts-outs after 2025 and 2026, the dollars are there for Chicago to absorb salary in a trade - which feels like a precursor to talks with San Diego going anywhere.

Could Chicago look to pick up Cease and All-Star closer Robert Suarez? That would clear $24 million off the books - but would put the Cubs close to the first CBT threshold of $241 million. Such a move would also come with significant prospect cost, but would immediately make them a legitimate contender in the National League and big-time favorites in the NL Central.

Cease slotting into a rotation that features Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Tailon and Matthew Boyd would be a huge upgrade, allowing Ben Brown, Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks to either slot into a long-relief role or wait in the wings at Iowa. In the bullpen, Suarez could team up with Ryan Pressly and Jordan Wicks to give Craig Counsell a three-headed late-inning monster.

There are a lot of ways a potential deal could come together, but the big takeaway for me in this deal is either the Padres are changing their tune as spring training gets underway or they're near-guaranteed to shed salary in the next month, with their three big-name pitchers seeming like the likeliest to be moved.