After a quiet summer, the Atlanta Braves made their first splash in free agency by agreeing to a three-year, $42 million deal with outfielder Jurickson Profar. Profar, who was selected for the first time in 2024 by the San Diego Padres, will be joining one of baseball’s best outfields, along with 2022 National League Rookie of the Year center fielder Michael Harris II and 2023 NL MVP right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr.
After being released by the Colorado Rockies in August 2023, the seasoned outfielder revived his career in San Diego. Following the Rockies’ decision, he signed a minor league contract with the Padres before securing a one-year, $1 million deal for 2024. Profar, a former top prospect, had a fantastic season last year, hitting.280/.380/.459 with a 3.6 WAR, 24 home runs, and 134 OPS+. He signed a hefty contract with the Braves as a result of this performance.
According to The Athletic, Alex Anthopoulos, general manager and head of baseball operations for the Braves, stated, “We evaluate the free-agent and trade markets at the start of the offseason, based on last year, and we had Jurickson as the second-best free-agent bat (behind Juan Soto).” “Just based on the previous season.” We believed his playing and performance were so amazing. The Braves are getting ready to start the season without one of their best players, so Profar’s signing comes at a critical moment.
Four-time All-Star to miss first month of season for Atlanta Braves
According to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and David O’Brien, Acuña will miss approximately the first month of the season while recovering from ACL surgery that limited him to 49 games in 2024. This marks his second ACL surgery, with the first occurring in 2021 during the Braves’ World Series championship run.
“Until Acuña returns, the Braves intend to use switch hitting Profar in left field and Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz in right field, though Kelenic will have an opportunity to be the main player there in Acuña’s absence,” according to The Athletic. When Acuña returns, Kelenic might be used as a fourth outfielder. Acuña will probably require some time off because the Braves will probably be more cautious with his workload in his first year following surgery than they were in 2022, when he occasionally battled with inflammation and uncertainty following surgery on his right ACL.
The Braves made it to the playoffs last season despite Acuña’s injuries, but the San Diego Padres beat them in two games. Acuña has recorded remarkable numbers in seven seasons with Atlanta, including a.289/.379/.525 slash line, 139 OPS+, 165 home runs, and 196 stolen bases. In 2023, he became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a same season.
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