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 crammed one in every of their most important 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 subsequent two years.

“Primarily based on final yr, we had Jurickson because the second-best free-agent bat,” Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos stated. “We consider 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 may also 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 no less than six weeks whereas recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee.

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

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

The Braves can enter the season realizing Profar can be in left area and Michael Harris II can be in middle. Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz, who each have Minor League choices remaining, stand as the highest candidates for proper area. Kelenic’s struggles in opposition to left-handed pitchers might result in a platoon with the right-handed-hitting De La Cruz. However Kelenic may have a possibility to win an on a regular basis function 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 have been in 2021.

“We’ll get [Kelenic] a number of reps in proper area [during Spring Training],” Anthopoulos stated. “He is received the vary and arm power to play all three [outfield positions]. Jarred may 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 escape, 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 massive bat together with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado within the Padres’ lineup.

Profar’s success got here along with his choice to make important modifications to his decrease half. He added a leg kick, opened his stance and noticed his common exit velocity leap 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’ basic supervisor when Bautista and Donaldson made their meteoric rises.

“Profar had all of the components,” Anthopoulos stated. “I feel tapping into the ability 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, hanging out solely 15.1% of the time and rating within the ninetieth percentile in each chase charge and whiff charge.

Profar, who got here up via the Minors as a shortstop, has now seen probably the most Main League motion in left area, 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 value 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 consider in these swing modifications and we consider that is who he could be going ahead,” Anthopoulos stated. “Somebody on the opposite aspect trying on the glass as half empty will say, ‘Effectively, he is carried out it only one yr.’ That is the danger you’re taking with these items. Lots of instances we go after the upside gamers.”