Jurickson Profar, Braves free-agent contract: 3 years, $42 million

ATLANTA — Jurickson Profar’s earliest baseball fandom was aided by fellow Curacao native Andruw Jones’ rise to greatness. He’ll now get his personal alternative to function a Braves outfielder.

The Braves stuffed certainly one of their most vital wants on Thursday once they signed Profar to a three-year, $42 million deal. He’ll obtain $12 million this yr after which draw a $15 million wage each of the following two years.

“Based mostly on final yr, we had Jurickson because the second-best free-agent bat,” Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos mentioned. “We imagine who he was final yr is who he’s going ahead.”

With the addition of the switch-hitting Profar, the Braves have gained a veteran who might help compensate for Ronald Acuña Jr.’s early-season absence and supply stability whereas probably serving as an on a regular basis outfielder. Acuña’s timetable hasn’t been set, however he might miss at the very least six weeks whereas recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee.

Profar’s large plate self-discipline additionally makes him a prime candidate to fill the leadoff spot whereas Acuña recovers.

“You like the truth that there’s contact and on-base [skills] and he switch-hits,” Anthopoulos mentioned. “It is actually an ideal complement and match to our group.”

The Braves can enter the season understanding Profar might be in left discipline and Michael Harris II might be in middle. Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz, who each have Minor League choices remaining, stand as the highest candidates for proper discipline. Kelenic’s struggles towards left-handed pitchers might result in a platoon with the right-handed-hitting De La Cruz. However Kelenic can have a possibility to win an on a regular basis position in camp. Profar matches greatest as a left fielder. He has performed simply 33 video games in proper and all however 4 of these video games had been in 2021.

“We’ll get [Kelenic] plenty of reps in proper discipline [during Spring Training],” Anthopoulos mentioned. “He is bought the vary and arm energy to play all three [outfield positions]. Jarred can have each alternative to be that man.”

It took till Profar’s age-31 marketing campaign — his eleventh season within the Main Leagues — for him to seemingly get away, however he definitely proved it’s by no means too late to shine. In his second stint with the Padres, after hardly enjoying in 2023, Profar posted a .280/.380/.459 slash line as San Diego’s beginning left fielder in ‘24. He hit 24 homers, drove in 85 runs and stole 10 bases, incomes Nationwide League All-Star honors and cementing himself as one other huge bat together with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado within the Padres’ lineup.

Profar’s success got here together with his determination to make vital modifications to his decrease half. He added a leg kick, opened his stance and noticed his common exit velocity soar from 86.5 mph in 2023 to 91.1 mph final season. Anthopoulos is hopeful these modifications will show as useful as they did to Justin Turner, José Bautista and Josh Donaldson.

Anthopoulos was the Blue Jays’ normal supervisor when Bautista and Donaldson made their meteoric rises.

“Profar had all of the substances,” Anthopoulos mentioned. “I feel tapping into the facility was the one piece that was going to raise his bat.”

It was a stellar season largely backed up by Statcast quality-of-contact metrics, which ranked Profar above the ninetieth percentile in MLB in anticipated wOBA (.364) and anticipated batting common (.283). He proved to be a disciplined hitter, strolling at a powerful 11.4% clip, placing out solely 15.1% of the time and rating within the ninetieth percentile in each chase price and whiff price.

Profar, who got here up by way of the Minors as a shortstop, has now seen essentially the most Main League motion in left discipline, making 499 profession appearances there in comparison with 219 at second base, 104 at brief and 89 at third. He graded out as a poor defender in left in 2024 (-7 Outs Above Common), however due to his bat, Profar was price 3.6 bWAR.

It was handily Profar’s greatest offensive season, as he got here into 2024 with a profession .706 OPS earlier than posting an .839 OPS with the Padres. He debuted with the Rangers in 2012 as a 19-year-old and performed in 85 video games the next season, however after a shoulder damage and subsequent surgical procedure to restore a torn labrum in 2014, he missed two entire seasons and didn’t return to MLB till 2016. Profar was traded to the A’s after the 2018 season in a three-team deal, then dealt to the Padres a yr later.

After exhibiting a bit extra prowess with the bat in 2022 (.243 BA, .723 OPS), Profar signed a one-year, $7.75 million cope with the Rockies for ‘23. He was launched by Colorado in late August and signed by San Diego to a Minor League deal earlier than re-upping with the Padres for 2024.

“We imagine in these swing modifications and we imagine that is who he could be going ahead,” Anthopoulos mentioned. “Somebody on the opposite aspect trying on the glass as half empty will say, ‘Nicely, he is executed it only one yr.’ That is the danger you are taking with this stuff. A number of occasions we go after the upside gamers.”