Manny Machado Details Padres' Pursuit of Aaron Judge

The San Diego Padres have seen all sorts of star players come through the organization over the last few years, with the team being aggressive via both free agency and trades. But one player that the team did make a run at, who didn't come to town, was superstar Aaron Judge.

When Judge was a free agent during the 2022 offseason, he was being pursued by multiple teams, including the Padres. In the end, Judge went back to the New York Yankees, but it seems that San Diego was a realistic landing spot for the star.

In fact, Padres star Manny Machado recently opened up about the team's pursuit of the Yankees slugger. Machado spoke with ESPN insider Buster Olney, detailing the process of luring Judge to San Diego.

"Man, it would have been impressive to see Aaron Judge in a Padre uniform. I knew he was never going to leave New York. I don't think there was a chance for him to leave New York. I wouldn't if I was him, I don't know why New York took so long," Machado said. " ... It would have been myself, would have been Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis and Aaron Judge. I know, knowing Peter [Seidler], he wasn't going to stop. I think that was a route that he really wanted to go with. I think he wanted to put the best four out there."

If the Padres had landed Judge, San Diego could have easily become a true powerhouse. The simple idea of having the four stars of Machado, Judge, Tatis and Soto would have been scary for the rest of the league.

Judge coming to San Diego would have been a complete power shift in baseball, and the course of the league would have been changed. But it's all speculation and what ifs now, even if this is a fun thought for fans and players to consider.

San Diego did end up signing Xander Bogaerts during the 2022 offseason, which at the time looked like a great move. Bogaerts has been solid for the Padres since he joined, but he is yet to live up to his 11-year, $280 million contract that he signed with the team.

Padres late owner Peter Seidler wanted to stop at nothing to help bring a title to the city of San Diego, and going after Judge proved that. San Diego has been in the top-15 of payroll around baseball in every season since 2020, showing the determination from the organization to win.

While the team didn't land Judge, they still have spent a lot of money over the years, and they are pursuing a World Series title with the group on the roster. San Diego has the look of a contender this season, and this organization won't stop, much like Seidler, until a title has been won.

The new owners, who are spending $3.9 billion to purchase the Padres, are expected to carry on Seidler's legacy.

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