Even though the Padres have signed a pair of pitchers in recent days, Dylan Cease may not yet be on the way out of San Diego.

Right-hander Nick Pivetta and the San Diego Padres finalized a four-year, $55 million contract, a backloaded deal that allows him to opt out after the 2026 and ’27 seasons. Pivetta gets a $3 million signing bonus and salaries of $1 million this year,

To reiterate here, Pivetta seems a prudent fit for a team that needed another innings-eater this year and beyond. Shields was in decline when he joined the Padres at 33. Though less decorated, Pivetta,