The San Diego Padres are in a bit of a pickle at the moment, as they lost their ace in Dylan Cease, and they are a little financially strained at the moment. This means if they want to upgrade their team, they need to be smart.
Fansided’s Christopher Kline believes the smartest move they can make is to try to make a blockbuster trade for Bryce Harper. Harper comes at a reasonable price, and provides a great bat to take their lineup to the next level.
“AJ Preller is constantly on the prowl, with endless ambition even in the face of financial hardship. Harper’s contract, again, is so reasonable for a star of his caliber, even if it runs a bit long. San Diego has hit a wall with its current core. Manny Machado is aging out of superstardom. There’s a real need for a shot in the arm. With all due respect to Gavin Sheets, Harper is a supermassive upgrade at first base and the jolt San Diego needs to earnestly challenge L.A. in the NL West,” Kline wrote.
This past season, Harper slashed .261/.357/.487/.844 with 32 doubles, 27 home runs, and 75 RBI in 132 games played. He would slot in over Gavin Sheets at first base, and also give another power bat to San Diego’s lineup, creating a fearsome four with Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill.
Harper is also on a relatively team-friendly contract, as he signed a 13-year, $330 million deal in 2019, and his salary would only be in the mid-20 million area for the final six years of it. And for a money-conscious team like the Padres, getting a guy of Harper’s caliber for that amount of money could be a steal.
Hopefully, the Padres consider this trade, and get to work on making a deal to keep their club in playoff contention for years to come.
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