Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain a pair of baseball’s most highly sought-after free agents, even if it is taking some time for them to get signed.
And with the process being fairly methodical, it is allowing new teams to toss their hat into the ring.
On Wednesday, it was the San Diego Padres, according to FanCred Sports’ Jon Heyman. And their interest goes beyond just Harper and Machado.
Not sure if it qualifies them for “Mystery Team” status, but the Padres have checked in w/ Machado, Moustakas, Marwin and yes, Harper. Their plan is to shoot for 2020, and no word yet they’ve made offers to any of the 4, but they could move up the timetable with one big buy.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 23, 2019
While the Padres currently aren’t a legitimate postseason contender, adding Harper, Machado, or any of the other aforementioned players certainly would speed up their rebuild — especially with oodles of talent in the minor leagues.
Last offseason, the Padres made a pretty big commitment to Eric Hosmer, which proves they’re not unwilling to fork over significant cash for veteran players.
Whether or not Harper or Machado have any interest in San Diego is another story, but if the player interest is there, the Padres could present a pretty logical fit.
