Padres Rumors: Could Bryce Harper end up with the Friars?

We all know the main suitors in the sweepstakes for Bryce Harper, but could we all be surprised by seeing Harper end up on a team like the San Diego Padres?

Earlier today, MLB.com’s Richard Justice wrote an article on the five possible mystery teams for Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. Interestingly, Richard ranked the San Diego Padres as a number three mystery team.

In this case, Justice is referring to Harper and not Machado, and it is a topic where Padres fans should have an interest.

We all know the Padres have been rebuilding since that 2015 season where they had Kemp, Kimbrel, Shields, both the Upton brothers, and Derek Norris, but still ended up with the same old 74 win season.

But the Padres seem like they have turned that corner last year and now are trending upwards, and who would be a better addition than Bryce Harper?

Harper is a six-time all-star, 2012 rookie of the year, and a 2015 MVP, so a signing like this would easily jumpstart the teams’ expectations for the 2019 and beyond.

Unfortunately, Harper wants a deal north of $300 million and the Padres don’t have that type of money. The only way I see them signing him is a short term deal (4-5 years) for about $140 million.

This would give time for the prospects like Chris Paddack, Logan Allen, and MacKenzie Gore to develop and come up to the big leagues, then in 2021, the Padres can go for the division.

If the Padres were to sign Harper, they certainly wouldn’t be keeping seven outfielders. Like I mentioned in my article yesterday, they could further better their team by trading Hunter Renfroe and/or Manuel Margot to the Marlins or Indians for Realmuto or Kluber, and so they would be making room for a generational player like Harper and then bringing on another all-star in Realmuto or Kluber.

I get that this is a long shot, but he already loves San Diego. He and his wife, Kayla Harper, got married at the San Diego California Temple in December 2016.

As Richard Justice noted, the Bryce Harper signing would surely bring attention to the Padres and certainly could help the Friars make the playoffs. That is something that has happened since 2006.