Bryce Harper will meet with the San Diego Padres and representatives of their ownership group on Thursday, according to multiple reports, adding a surprise team to a free agency sweepstakes that's been oddly quiet given its preceding hype.
Harper, the 26-year-old outfielder who spent the first seven years of his career with the Washington Nationals, has shared the dull spotlight of a dragging offseason with shortstop Manny Machado. Neither player has found a landing spot with the start of spring training less than two weeks away, creating a logjam of talented, unsigned free agents and sparking talks of collusion among deep-pocketed owners unwilling to invest in a winning product.