Are the Cubs contemplating a reunion with 200-K former farmhand?

The Chicago Cubs need another starting pitcher, yet steered clear of the big-money aces on the free-agent market. However, the answer to Chicago's needs could lie in their past.

Rachael Millanta of Just Baseball muses that the Cubs could be a perfect landing spot for current San Diego Padres ace Dylan Cease, whom the Friars are reportedly shopping around the league in an effort to trim payroll.

So far, they’ve added Colin Rea, Cody Poteet, Matthew Boyd, and Eli Morgan to the roster, with Rea and Boyd both expected to be utilized as starters," Millanta wrote of the Cubs. "Still, all of the new additions are more depth than showstoppers — at least for now — and acquiring an established ace for the rotation would make winning the NL Central division almost a certainty."

Cease began his journey to the major leagues as a sixth-round draft choice of the Cubs in the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft. 

However, he was dealt to their crosstown rivals — the Chicago White Sox — along with outfielder Eloy Jimenez in a 2017 trade for Jose Quintana. The Cubs sought established rotation depth at the time to defend their 2016 World Series title. 

However, the swap proved to be a dud for the Northsiders as Quintana quickly fizzled out in Wrigley Field while Cease went on to become the staff ace of the White Sox.

Cease has put together four consecutive 200-strikeout seasons, including 224 for the Padres last season after San Diego dealt for him last winter. 

The Cubs have the type of "big league-ready" prospects that the Friars would crave in return for Cease and a deal for 29-year-old would help rectify Chicago's past error in dealing him away.

More MLB: Orioles could be a prime destination for 3-time All-Star hurler