Jeff Chiu / AP file

Barry Bonds' agent claims there is a growing interest in his client.

Is Barry Bonds leaving San Francisco and heading 500 miles south?

The San Diego Padres -- the Giants' NL West rivals -- have expressed interest in the 42-year-old slugger, according to a FOXSports.com report that cited an unnamed major-league source.

Bonds, a free agent, is 22 home runs shy of breaking Hank Aaron's all-time home run record. His agent, Jeff Borris, said there has been growing interest in his client.

"There are some teams that are being very aggressive in their pursuit of Barry and they're turning up the heat," Borris told FOXSports.com.

"There are teams that want answers and they want them quickly. There are some owners who have requested meetings with Barry."

Padres general manager Kevin Towers declined to address his team's interest in Bonds.

“I'm not going to comment on any of the free agents that we're in discussion with," he told the Web site.

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