One of the biggest questions for the Atlanta Braves this winter was how they would handle the loss of Ronald Acuña Jr. The 27-year-old superstar tore his left ACL while running the bases last May and while he said he expected to be ready for Opening Day, he vowed to take it slow with his second major knee injury after tearing his right ACL in 2021.
The void grew bigger when Jorge Soler signed with the Los Angeles Angels in free agency. With Soler’s status uncertain, the Braves needed someone who could serve as an insurance plan but have a formidable spot in the lineup across from Jarred Kelenic. That led to the Braves signing Jurickson Profar to a three-year, $42 million contract to start the season in left field.
After hitting .280/.380/.459 with 24 home runs, 85 RBI, and 10 stolen bases to earn his first All-Star appearance with the San Diego Padres last season, Profar’s arrival was hailed as a big move. But some are already skeptical about the contract and are putting the 32-year-old under the spotlight to begin the 2025 season.
Jurickson Profar Labeled As Player Likely to Bust From 2024-25 Free Agent Class
B/R’s Tim Kelly is among those who are pessimistic about the Braves’ biggest free agent signing of the winter, citing Profar’s 2023 performance with the Colorado Rockies.
"Jurickson Profar was one of the most complete offensive players in baseball a year ago, Kelly wrote. If the Braves get that version of Profar, the three-year, $42 million pact they signed him to will prove to be team-friendly. The problem when trying to evaluate Profar is that prior to his All-Star campaign in 2024, he posted a .689 OPS and -1.6 WAR in the 2023 season. … The Rockies might not be a model organization but Coors Field isn’t typically a place you associate with players struggling to perform offensively."
Profar appeared to be on the back end of his career during that season, hitting .236/.316/.364 with eight home runs and 39 RBI for Colorado before he was released in August. But his rebound year with San Diego in 2024 cleared the way to get paid this offseason and secure a three-year deal.
If this was an off year, Profar’s 2023 could be dismissed. However, as the top prospect in baseball at the time of his debut as a 19-year-old with the Texas Rangers in 2012, his career has been a disappointment.
Injuries played a major role in limiting Profar’s potential with the Rangers and he was traded to the Athletics before the 2019 season. Profar revived his career by hitting .243/.331/.391 with 15 homers and 58 RBI and had a 3.0 WAR in 2022, but he regressed heavily after signing with Colorado and went back to San Diego for 14 games at the end of that season.
A career .245/.331/.395 batter’s line with 111 home runs, 444 RBI, and 57 stolen bases in 11 seasons doesn’t suggest that Profar will be able to keep it up as he heads to Atlanta. But if he does, Kelly believes it could be a huge boost to the lineup.
"If Profar is anything what he was a year ago in San Diego – or even what he was for the 2022 Padres – it will be a tremendous addition to a lineup that includes Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson, with former NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. likely to return from a left ACL tear at some point in the first half of the season. Still, it’s a bit surprising that he got a third guaranteed year considering how recently he was one of the worst regulars in all of baseball."
This is what Braves fans are hoping for. If Profar provides immediate value, the Braves can worry about the back end of the contract down the road. If he struggles out of the gate, Atlanta could be lighting plenty of money on fire and creating a headache to figure out next offseason.