The San Diego Padres are intent on winning free agency.
The National League West team has made “serious” contract offers to Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported Sunday night via Twitter. San Diego appears willing to alter the direction of its franchise and the MLB landscape by committing over hundreds of millions of dollars to the free-agent superstars.
Padres aren’t kidding around and are said to have made serious offers for both Machado and Harper. Their bid for Machado is believed to be for about $250M (and about 8 years) tho there is the Cali tax and possibly deferrals. Bid for Harper believed to be for more than that.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 18, 2019
The Padres reportedly met with Machado and his wife last week in Miami and registered their interest in signing him as a third baseman. Despite their late entry into the race for Machado, the Padres are thought to be among the leading contenders to acquire him.
San Diego met with Harper earlier this month in Las Vegas and had been thought to be rivaling the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants for his services. However, the latest reports have linked Harper with an imminent move to the Phillies.
As things intensify, Bryce Harper has multiple long-term offers for more than 30M a year. Philly is viewed as the favorite, as said here, but it is also said to an “evolving” market.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 18, 2019
The Padres lost 96 games last season and haven’t enjoyed a winning season since 2010. Adding Machado and Harper would represent a free-agent haul for the ages and immediately inject some excitement into their long-suffering fans.
