Profar Contract with Braves Receives Relatively Good Grade

While the actual grade isn't necessarily stellar, it's a good grade when considering the season the Atlanta Braves' outfielder experienced

Profar managed to get a salvaging grade after year one with the Braves | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Jurickson Profar is set for year two in an Atlanta Braves uniform. It will come with different expectations than the last, and for obvious reasons. He missed 80 games due to a suspension for testing positive for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

While he performed well once he got back, that suspension has soured the view of the contract he signed last offseason. Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly recently gave Profar's contract a C- when evaluating notable signings from the previous year. The grade is a mix of factoring in the time he missed with the solid production after he returned.

Profar is signed to a three-year, $42 million contract. He was coming off a breakout season at 31 years old, where he was named an All-Star for the first time in his career. However, he was hit with a suspension after four games. He wasn't performing well in that small sample size, only putting fuel on the fire.

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When someone automatically loses half the season for this reason, there is an immediate expectation that the contract is going to be a nightmare. However, Profar's late-season performance likely helped keep this letter grade afloat. This easily could have been a D or even an F.

Once he got back, he batted .248 with an .804 OPS, 14 home runs and 43 RBIs in 76 games. He was on pace for about 30 home runs and 90 RBIs. Had he had the full season, and he put up those numbers, this contract likely would have gotten a B+ or an A-. Both counting stats would have been career-highs.

For those reasons, Kelly added that Profar has a chance to make the Braves a playoff team once more in 2026. The bat is clearly there, and the pop didn't vanish after the suspension. It easily could have, but it stuck around.

FanGraphs has reasonable expectations for Profar heading into the season. He's expected to bat .254 with a .762 OPS, 18 home runs and 70 RBIs. He has the potential to do better than that, but if that is all they can get out of him with Walt Weiss' plan of mixing and matching outfielders, that should be sufficient.