The San Diego Padres are finalizing a deal for Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Blake Snell, but it seems Padres general manager A.J. Preller is far from finished.

The Athletic reports San Diego is “deep into talks” with the Chicago Cubs regarding right-hander Yu Darvish. If a deal is consummated, multiple players would head to Chicago.

This could be a monumental move with massive ramifications in the National League West.

San Diego's acquisition of Snell already gave it a former American League Cy Young winner with multiple years of control. Darvish is coming off a season in which he finished as the runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award, and he still has three years remaining on his current deal. That would lend some semblance of continuity for the Padres.

Darvish not only finished as the runner-up for Cy Young, but he is also in the midst of the best stretch of his career.

The Japanese star was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball after the 2019 All-Star break, and he followed that by going 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 2020, leading the NL in FIP (2.23). Even more consequently, Darvish added nearly two full ticks of velocity to his hard stuff, which projects well over the next few years of his contract despite the fact he will turn 35 in August.

San Diego is starting to realize its full potential as a contender in the NL. But after landing Snell, Preller clearly sees an opportunity to go for it now and challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers at the top of the division.

The Cubs might be willing to take back Wil Myers' salary given outfield needs, though that is also likely to hike up the prospect cost. Will the Padres give up more future value in an effort to win right now?

We'll see how these trade talks play out.