The Chicago Cubs have emerged as a possible candidate to acquire San Diego Padres’ ace Jake Peavy.

The Chicago Cubs have leapt to the forefront of the Jake Peavy trade discussion, though the San Diego Padres are continuing to talk with the Atlanta Braves in hopes of extracting a better package, sources told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday night.

The team that lands the former National League Cy Young winner could depend on which includes its top pitching prospect, according to the sources. The Padres have asked the Cubs for right-hander Jeff Samardzija as the headliner of a package that could include outfielder Felix Pie, pitcher Sean Marshall and infielder Ronny Cedeno. Other potential pieces, another source said, were pitcher Kevin Hart and minor-league pitcher Donnie Veal.

A rotation of Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Jake Peavy and Ryan Dempster would be filthy, although the Cubs would be mortgaging their long-term future by parting with so many prospects. Still, their roster is set up for them to win now and in baseball, you have to worry about one year at a time if you’re a contender like the Cubs obviously are.