The San Diego Padres are very interested in Manny Machado, but there are some hurdles to clear before the team signs him.
According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres want to meet with Machado ahead of a potential pursuit, but there is some chatter that the infielder would not want to play on the west coast. However, there are also apparent concerns from some players about his conduct.
A few things from today.#Padres would want to meet Manny Machado. So far have only met with agent. There’s lot of talk he really doesn’t want to play on West Coast, and there are real concerns other players have about him. Padres believe Hosmer, Kinsler will be good influences.
— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) January 26, 2019
The Padres have some veterans in the clubhouse, like the aforementioned Ian Kinsler and Eric Hosmer. The hope is that if Machado signed players like that could help keep him out of trouble.
The concerns likely stem from Machado’s conduct in the playoffs, as well as comments indicating an unwillingness to hustle. Other teams have also had concerns about this, but it’s one thing for a front office to have questions and another issue entirely to have to walk into a skeptical clubhouse.
