SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Five minutes after the Giants took the field on Tuesday morning, their path to the postseason in 2019 got a bit steeper, as the news leaked out that the San Diego Padres were reportedly adding Manny Machado.
Machado will reportedly get $300 million over 10 years, adding a superstar to an organization that has the best farm system in the majors and is expected to jump back into contention as soon as next year.
The first reaction from one Giants person on the field was to mutter, "Wow, really?"
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The second reaction: "What will Harper get now?"
Harper figures to easily get more than $300 million now after a winter spent wondering which superstar would snag the record deal. The Giants have been involved, but not nearly at that level. If they feel pressure to counteract the move from a division rival, it hasn't shown. At a media event for managers and team executives, Farhan Zaidi said he doesn't feel he must keep up when a team in the division strikes like the Padres did.
"I don't think it really changes how we're viewing our team and what we might still do to it, especially when you start talking about the context of a move that might not be just about 2019, but might be a move that impacts your roster five years or 10 years out," Zaidi said. "You want to make sure you're making the right decision for your organization and not doing it in a reactionary way."
It would be a stunner if the Giants went anywhere near those kinds of figures in their bid to get Harper, but they continue to look at free agent and trade options, Zaidi said. The projection systems had them about on par with the Padres before the Machado move, but this certainly shakes it up.
San Francisco Giants
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The Dodgers remain the clear favorite in the NL West and the Rockies have been far ahead of the Giants the last couple of years. But the Padres could soon be a problem. At the very least, Tuesday’s move signaled a desire to accelerate their rebuild.
"He's like Harper -- they're great players and they're going to sign somewhere," manager Bruce Bochy said of Machado. "He's going to make them a better team. I think any time you get an impact player like that signing with a team in your division, sure, no question, it makes them tougher. Those guys are difference-makers."