MLB Rumors: Padres ‘Not Signing’ Bryce Harper Following Manny Machado

The San Diego Padres made a splash in free agency, but making a crater appears to be out of the question.

Manny Machado’s looming arrival in San Diego has ended the Padres’ pursuit of fellow superstar free agent Bryce Harper, a high-ranking team source told The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee on Tuesday. The Padres reportedly had been courting Machado and Harper simultaneously, but they aren’t willing to make back-to-back, record-setting acquisitions.

“We’re not signing him,” Acee’s source said.

The Padres are expected to announce Machado’s signing in the coming days after he reportedly agreed to a 10-year, $300 million contract Tuesday.

MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported Tuesday that San Diego hadn’t ruled out also signing Harper, claiming the team can afford to add another $30-million-per-year contract to its payroll. However, Acee’s source contradicted Heyman’s around the same time.

Time will tell which report proves to be true, but the smart money is on Harper landing elsewhere.