The time for the awkward discussion has arrived. With the offseason underway, the Atlanta Braves have to figure out what they’re going to do with outfielder Jurickson Profar.
He’s been suspended twice for performance-enhancing drugs: once for 80 games in 2025 and then for all of 2026.
Instead of having three everyday outfielders, the Braves had to make left field a chess game every single night. At the very least, they’ve only had to pay about $6.1 million of his salary so far because of all the time away.
Now, he’s back for 2027. He’s owed $15 million, and essentially has the trust of nobody. On Sunday, general manager Alex Anthopolous made it clear that a discussion would have to be had.
"There isn't anything that prevents me from talking about it. What I can tell you is, we're going to have to sit and talk internally just across the board about the whole thing,” he said.
This internal talk across the board should be short, right?
It’s pretty simple. He shouldn’t see action with the Braves ever again.
At this point, there is no benefit to having him come back and even get a chance. He already had one. Many opted to give him the benefit of the doubt. If they didn’t believe the fertility drug narrative, then perhaps others believed that he learned his lesson because of the punishment that came about.
In the end, he said he was sorry, and then got caught again.
The boos from the crowd will be a distraction. The makeup of the culture in the clubhouse would take a hit. Nothing about keeping him around is worth it.
If another team wants him on the cheap, by all means, they can have him.
Sure, releasing him outright is a $15 million bullet to bite. That’s very understandable in that case, which is why it’s a discussion at all. On the bright side, the Braves didn’t spend much of the money that they saved from last season. They can just use much of that same money to pay him to go away.
After his 2024 All-Star season, it looked like he would make a great addition to the lineup. That aspiration has translated into about a month of actual solid baseball.
In 80 games last season, he batted .245 with a .787 OPS. However, those numbers are boosted by an August where he batted .295 with a 1.026 OPS. Nine of his 14 home runs came in that same timeframe. Outside of that month, his OPS was below .700, and he batted .218.
With the offensive woes this team is already having on and off, he can't be expected to help provide any help.
Turn the page. They did just fine without him. Somebody else can be brought into be the new everyday left fielder.
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