San Diego Padres reportedly prefer Bryce Harper over Manny Machado

The San Diego Padres have emerged as a late entrant into the Bryce Harper and Manny Machado Sweepstakes. According to reports, the have determined which superstar they would prefer.

In a couple of years, the San Diego Padres have the potential to be an exciting team. With a litany of top prospects getting closer to the majors, the Padres are expected to emerge as a possible contender in the early part of the 2020s. However, with the right veteran signings, that timeline could accelerate, with the veterans providing the groundwork for the coming wave of prospects.

With that in mind, the Padres have emerged as one of the mystery teams in the pursuit of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Either player would help the lineup, adding a young, powerful bat to a lineup that could use an infusion of pop. Either player would give the Padres instant credibility, an intriguing core that with Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer.

As it stands, the Padres reportedly have their preference in which free agent they want to sign. According to Jon Heyman, the Padres prefer Harper, for reasons that go beyond what he would provide on the diamond.

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As mentioned in Heyman’s tweet, Harper seems like a curious preference. The Padres have a glut of corner outfield options already, which has become further muddled given that Myers is being moved back to the outfield this season. They already need to find playing time for the likes of Franchy Cordero, Travis Jankowski, Hunter Renfroe, and Franmil Reyes. Adding Harper would only complicate matters.

It is possible that the Padres cancel their plans to move Myers back to the outfield if they sign Harper. He would, at least, provide an option at third, while removing one player from the outfield logjam. Meanwhile, one of more of those other outfielders could be used to bring in help in other places, such as the bullpen.

Indeed, Machado would make more sense for the Padres. Putting his Gold Glove defense at third, along with a Gold Glove winner in Hosmer at first, would be a dramatic improvement. When Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Urias are ready and in the lineup, that would be a strong defensive infield, one that could make a difference for a younger Padres rotation.

Instead, the Padres are looking at jersey sales as opposed to baseball reasons for their preference for Harper. While Machado may not want to head to the West Coast, the right amount of money could convince him otherwise. Likewise, the Padres would need to outbid the competition for either player, something that does not seem probable. That preference may simply be academic unless they have more money available than anticipated.

The San Diego Padres reportedly prefer Bryce Harper to Manny Machado. Despite those preferences, it seems highly unlikely that they will be able to add either one.