Padres are one free-agent signing away from trading Dylan Cease or Michael King

It was right there for the taking.

The San Diego Padres arrived in the 2024 NLDS with MLB's hottest bat in Fernando Tatis Jr., not to mention a stacked lineup and enough pitching to realistically take down the dynasty forming before our eyes in LA.

A 2-1 series lead put the Padres in control of their own fate. Another win, and San Diego would've had all the momentum needed for a potential World Series run. Then the offense collapsed, the Dodgers tightened the screws, and San Diego's Cinderella season went up in flames.

Now the future is murkier than ever. An ongoing ownership dispute puts San Diego's finances under immense strain. Rather than spending like the days of yore, A.J. Preller is left to manage a ballooning cap sheet with minimal support.

There has been a longstanding belief that either Dylan Cease or Michael King will get traded before the 2025 season kicks off. Both were spectacular last season, but Cease in particular feels like a ticking time bomb. He's about to get the bag in free agency. The Padres just can't afford to keep all their top assets.

What's keeping Cease and King in the building? A lack of alternative options. The Padres were oft-reported frontrunners for Roki Sasaki, who might've pushed Cease out the door upon his arrival. When Sasaki inked a contract with LA, however, it put the Cease buzz on hold.

The latest free agent pitcher connected to San Diego, however, might be the missing piece who frees up the Padres' front office for a long-gestating sacrifice atop the rotation.

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Nick Pivetta linked to Padres as Dylan Cease, Michael King trade rumors pick up steam

Nick Pivetta is the most intriguing pitcher left in free agency. The 31-year-old has taken his share of lumps over the years, but he's equipped with an electric four-pitch arsenal and plenty of strong statistical indicators. He finished the 2024 campaign in Boston with a 4.14 ERA across 27 appearances (26 starts), racking up 172 strikeouts in 145.2 innings. Pivetta only allowed 36 walks by comparison.

Consistency has been Pivetta's bugaboo, but his best stuff can challenge the MLB's most elite arms. His 88th percentile strikeout rate and 80th percentile walk rate last season feels like a sustainable foundation for success.

ESPN's Jeff Passan expects Pivetta to hold out for a solid multi-year contract and to get what he's asking for, even with spring training right around the corner. He also views the Padres as a logical fit.

"Whether it's in the next few days or by the end of the month when spring pitching injuries inevitably crop up, Pivetta's market will emerge and he'll be rewarded accordingly," Passan writes." Even if he never has finished a full season with an ERA below 4.00, Pivetta is coming off a season in which he struck out 172 and walked 36. And pitchers with nearly 5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratios and premium stuff always find a willing partner."

The Padres are clearly in the market for further rotation upgrades, preferably at a discounted rate. Landing Pivetta as a high-upside, low-cost gamble allows San Diego to start floating Cease or King to prospective suitors without reservation. Pivetta has been mostly durable over the years, whether he's starting or splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. If he's locked up for a few years, that security might free up the Padres for more ambitious (or self-destructive) moves elsewhere.