MLB Rumors: Bryce Harper Deal Real Possibility For Padres, ‘They Can Afford’ Him

MLB rumors about Bryce Harper’s landing spot have been running wild. However, the Phillies and the Padres have become the top two teams that seem to be in the running for the all-star outfielder.

According to 12up, although the Padres recently inked a $300 million deal with Manny Machado, they reportedly still have the money to give Bryce Harper a huge deal as well.

Baseball reporter Devan Fink revealed via Twitter that the San Diego Padres “absolutely” have enough money to pay Harper.

“They are still $82MM under the competitive balance tax for 2019. Would be quite a deal,” Fink told his social media followers on Thursday night.

“In 2015, the Padres had the 18th-highest 40-man roster payroll in baseball, their highest rank since 2000. The 18th-highest CBT payroll in 2018 was Colorado, at $143MM. Padres would need to jump to like 14th in order to bring in Harper,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Padres front office is reportedly meeting to discuss whether or not they can afford, or want, to sign Bryce before he makes his free agency decision in the coming days. Currently, teams are at spring training, with Harper back in his home state of Nevada trying to decide his fate for the foreseeable future.

Bryce Harper has allegedly already turned down multiple offers of $300 million. Perhaps he’s been waiting on the right fit with the right team. Sources claim that the home run hitter would prefer to be out west so that he is closer to Las Vegas, where his friends and family members could watch him play. From there, he could jet home quickly, which is something the Padres offer that the Phillies simply can’t, no matter what the cost.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, if Bryce were to end up in Philadelphia, it likely wouldn’t be the worst thing for his career. During his time with the Washington Nationals, Harper has hit 14 homers and has 32 RBIs during his 50 games at Citizens Bank Park against the Phillies over the past seven seasons.

The Phillies are said to be in hot pursuit of Harper after missing out on Manny Machado. However, Bryce is allegedly giving the Padres time to see if they can match the deal that Philly is offering, and if they can, he could sign a contract with the team very soon — creating a new super-team in the west in the process.

The MLB rumors will continue to churn until Bryce Harper finally makes his decision. Until then, fans will have to keep waiting for the big news to drop.