Cubs are casting a very wide net as they look to re-shape their pitching staff

I'm not going to do it. I refuse to let myself hope again. The Chicago Cubs have proven time and time again that they're unwilling to step into the ring with the premier franchises in Major League Baseball and do what it takes (get a little uncomfortable) to push a free agent pursuit across the finish line.

We saw it with Shohei Ohtani a couple of years ago - and Jed Hoyer has proven he's a methodical executive who rarely, if ever, goes beyond what an internal evaluation says about a player. Despite all that, new reporting from The Athletic (subscription required) suggests the Cubs could make a major change in their free agent pursuits this offseason.

Sahadev Sharma reports that Chicago is 'signaling a willingness' to sign a player attached to a qualifying offer - which has felt like a complete non-starter in the past. As he points out, that makes the team's rumored interest in Dylan Cease particularly intriguing given his upside and swing-and-miss capabilities.

Cubs Rumors: Dylan Cease, Michael King, Tatsuya Imai all on team's radar

The right-hander is coming off a down year, of sorts, but the peripherals all remained strong. And we've all seen what Tommy Hottovy and the Cubs' pitching infrastructure is capable of. But the team isn't putting all its eggs in one basket, either. Chicago remains interested in one of Cease's teammates in San Diego, right-hander Michael King.

Drawing internal comparisons to Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon for his intelligence and feel for the art of pitching, King is a prime bounceback candidate after making only 15 starts this year because of injury. He's expected to land a Taillon-like contract in free agency, something in the four-year range with an AAV around $20 million. In short, he's not your ace acquisition (at least not in an ideal world).

A name who would fit the bill as a true ace is Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai, who will be formally posted in late November. But some of the contract projections that are floating around are not just enough to make Hoyer uncomfortable - they're enough to have him laughing in Scott Boras' face.

Sharma expects the Cubs to circle back with the Miami Marlins in trade talks, as well. The teams nearly closed a Jesus Luzardo trade last winter before Chicago balked at the medicals, and discussed right-hander Edward Cabrera extensively this summer. The young right-hander is controllable through 2028 via arbitration and would command a strong return.

Don't hold your breath on Edwin Diaz getting $100 million from the Cubs, because it's not happening. Devin Williams feels like a long-shot, as well, given the amount of interest he's generating already - but someone like Pete Fairbanks could fit the bill. Another change in Hoyer's thinking: the team is reportedly open to multi-year deals for relievers - a stance he's only rarely deviated from since taking over the team's baseball operations department five years ago.

So, long story, short? Pitching, pitching, pitching. That will be the story of the Cubs' offseason.