Braves, Jurickson Profar Agree to Three-Year, $42-Million Contract
Outfielder Jurickson Profar will not return to the San Diego Padres next season as many had previously assumed. Instead, the 31-year-old is taking his services to Atlanta to join the Braves.
Profar is headed to “The ATL” on a three-year, $42-million contract, as FanSided’s Robert Murray first reported Thursday. The franchise later confirmed the deal, which carries a $14 million average annual value through 2027.
The switch-hitting outfielder will earn $12 million in 2025 and $15 million over the following two seasons, per the club’s payment breakdown issued via the signing’s press release. It’s the first notable acquisition of the off-season for Atlanta, which has been uncharacteristically quiet this winter.
By signing with the Braves, Profar joins an outfield that already includes Michael Harris II and eventually former NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. once he recovers from his second career ACL tear. Together, those three could form one of the sport’s top outfield trios – if they remain healthy.
One of Profar’s teammates, Harris, has already taken to social media to express his excitement over the free-agent signing, welcoming the team’s newest hitter to the city via X, formerly known as Twitter.
The 2024 All-Star enjoyed a career year last season with the Padres, clubbing 24 home runs and driving in 85 while slashing .280/.380/.459 across 158 games – all career-highs. He also accounted for a 139 wRC+ (100 league average), the highest of his 11 major league seasons, winning his first-ever Silver Slugger Award.
Profar was amongst San Diego’s most productive position players, finishing second on the team in fWAR (4.3), trailing only rookie centre-fielder Jackson Merrill (5.3).
Of Profar’s 11 big-league seasons, he’s spent nearly half of his professional career in San Diego, delivering quality results in four of his five campaigns with the franchise. However, his offensive production has largely been non-existent when he’s played elsewhere.
For that reason, most within the industry believed his preference was to remain in San Diego, holding out as long as possible for an acceptable offer – one that seemingly never came, eventually forcing him to move on.
Prior to signing with Atlanta, Profar’s name was rarely brought up in the rumour mill, likely due to his inconsistencies when playing for any team other than the Padres. While that skepticism may have been valid in previous seasons, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any major red flags regarding his 2024 performance.
Looking under the hood, the native of Curacao stood out with his expected results, posting a .282 xAVG and .364 xwOBA – both ranking in the 92nd percentile of the majors. He also registered the highest hard-hit (44.4%) and barrel rates (7.2%) of his career since the Statcast era began in 2015.
Additionally, he displayed remarkable plate discipline, with his strikeout (15.1%), whiff (17%), chase (21.9%) and walk rates (11.4%) all placing in the 88th percentile or higher.
Based on those impressive underlying metrics, Profar shouldn’t have any issues providing a much-needed boost to a Braves lineup that underperformed in 2024, finishing middle of the pack in wRC+ with a league-average score of 100.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: D. Benjamin Miller. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.