Braves' Top Free Agent Signing Named Among 'Biggest Bust' 2025 Candidates

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter argued the Atlanta Braves could regret making the free agency splash for a new outfielder this offseason.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves Country largely met the signing outfielder Jurickson Profar this offseaosn with relief. Finally, the Braves made a move in MLB free agency.

But Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter reminded everyone to begin this week why there's concerns about the Profar signing.

On Feb. 9, Reuter included Profar on a list of the top 10 biggest hitting bust candidates for the 2025 season.

"Profar was a 3-WAR player in 2022 with the Padres, then he joined the Rockies in free agency and promptly forgot how to hit, posting a 77 OPS+ and minus-1.7 WAR in 111 games before he was released," Reuter wrote. "His batted-ball data was encouraging last season, including a career-high 44.4 percent hard-hit rate, but he already showed some signs of regression last year with a .243 average and a 76-point dip in his OPS after the All-Star break.

"Can he avoid another letdown after leaving San Diego in the rearview?"

Reuter would likely answer no to his own question. Not only did Profar make his hitting bust list, but Bleacher Report used Profar as the main photo in the story.

Reuter's concerns for Profar repeating his 2024 campaign are warranted. Profar made his first All-Star team last season with a .280/.380/.459 slash line. He posted a career-best 24 home runs, 85 RBI and 94 runs at 31 years old.

Behind his career-high hard-hit percentage, Profar posted a BAbip 30 points higher than his career norm. But if he can't maintain that hard-hit rate in 2025, then his BAbip is likely to decline back to his .271 career number, and his other statistics will drop too.

If Profar was 24 years old, analysts could view his 2024 campaign as a breakout. But at 31, he already had a 10-year sample before the 2024 season. So entering 2025, last year's numbers for Profar just stick out like a sore thumb on his stat sheet.

The good news is the Braves won't need Profar to be a player with an .840 OPS to have a great offense. With a completely healthy lineup, Profar might hit in the bottom third of the order.

If he can just come close to repeating his 2024 totals, then he can provide the Braves lineup length and avoid the bust label.