The San Diego Padres have officially parted ways with their All-Star outfielder.
On Thursday, free agent Jurickson Profar agreed to a three-year, $42 million deal with the Atlanta Braves, according to multiple reports, including ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Profar’s lengthy offseason has come to a close. Despite the logical case for a reunion with the Padres, the 31-year-old outfielder is heading to Atlanta to continue his late-career resurgence. This marks the end of Profar’s second stint with the Padres.
Profar spent three seasons with San Diego from 2020 to 2022 before rejoining the team in September 2023 after being released by the Colorado Rockies. He completed the 2023 season with the Padres and re-signed in February 2024 on a one-year, $1 million contract.
That decision proved to be the turning point of his career.
In 2024, Profar delivered his best season yet, setting career highs in batting average (.280), on-base percentage (.380), OPS (.839), home runs (24), RBIs (85), runs scored (94), hits (158), and total bases (259). His OPS+ of 134 and wRC+ of 139 demonstrated he was well above league average offensively.
Profar earned his first All-Star selection, won a Silver Slugger award, and received MVP votes, finishing 14th in the race.
After the season, Profar expressed his desire to remain in San Diego.
“I’m a free agent now,” Profar said in October. “But I want to be here. This team has everything needed to win a World Series. Mike Shildt has built something special. Hopefully, I can be part of it.”
Unfortunately, a new deal never materialized.
The Padres, dealing with internal ownership issues involving Peter Seidler’s family, have not made any major league additions this offseason. The team is focused on reducing payroll while trying to stay competitive, but so far, that has resulted in no significant moves.
San Diego aimed to make a splash by signing Roki Sasaki, who would have required only a minor league deal and international bonus pool money. However, Sasaki chose the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, who eliminated the Padres from the playoffs last year before winning the World Series.
With Profar’s departure, the Padres lose arguably the most valuable player from their 93-win season in 2024. Adding to the sting, he’s now joining an NL rival and potential Wild Card competitor.
To make matters worse, the Padres open their 2025 season against the Braves in San Diego, giving Profar an immediate chance to show his former team what they’re missing.
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