ESPN MLB insider Author of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports”
The San Diego Padres met with free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper on Thursday in Las Vegas, sources familiar with the meeting told ESPN, officially adding a suitor to a list of teams that now numbers four and could expand as spring training approaches.
The emergence of San Diego as a possible destination for Harper dovetailed with a number of other potential moves by the Padres, sources said, including the pursuit of the other available free-agent star, Manny Machado, and a potential trade for Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. Harper’s allure to the Padres is clear: Despite a glut in the corner-outfield spots, the addition of a star-level talent clearly would improve an on-the-come team.