MLB Roundup 1/26: The Padres could be moving their chips in

For a long, long time the Padres have been mired in irrelevance, making a few token playoff appearances here and there but never really being on the map since making the World Series in 1998. That could be changing soon, as the team was connected to two of the biggest names available on Friday. First, they have emerged as players in the mostly-quiet Manny Machado market. The biggest offer we know of to the former Orioles star is an 8/175 contract from the White Sox, which seems much lower than pre-offseason expectations. We’ve also heard plenty of chatter about “mystery teams” being involved, and it seems as though the Padres were one of them. They spent big on Eric Hosmer last year, which was certainly not the brightest move but at least showed some willingness to spend. Now, Machado could join him on the other corner of the infield.

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