LOS ANGELES — The Braves made one major free-agent signing after last season, and it backfired before April. I don’t just mean Jurickson Profar’s 80-game suspension for violating MLB’s performance-enhancing drug policy. I’m not just talking about Profar’s ineligibility to play in October should the Braves make it.
Those outcomes are bad enough for the Braves. What’s worse are the longer-term implications of the positive PED test that MLB announced for Profar on Monday. Chief among them is the possibility that Profar isn’t the player that general manager Alex Anthopoulos thought he was getting when he signed him to a three-year, $42 million contract in January.
Anthopoulos offered Profar that deal based largely on his production with the Padres in 2024, especially his career-high 24 home runs. That came after Profar hit a total of 28 homers from 2021-23. Profar’s newfound power in 2024 was a major reason Anthopoulos said the Braves rated him as the second-best free agent bat behind Juan Soto.
“This guy had all the ingredients (before),” Anthopoulos said at the time of Profar’s signing. “Tapping into some power was the one thing that was going to elevate his bat. We believe what he did last year is what he is going forward.”
The Braves can’t be sure of that now. When Anthopoulos signed Profar, he said the Braves believed that his newfound power was the result of swing changes in his lower body. The positive PED test raises the possibility that Profar’s power surge was he result of him putting banned substances into his body.
If so, then Profar sold the Braves a costly bill of goods. The Braves committed to pay Profar $12 million this season and $15 million in both 2026 and 2027. They won’t have to pay Profar for the games he’s on the suspended list in 2025, but they remain on the hook for the rest.
Profar still has some value for the Braves if his power was a mirage because he gets on base at a high rate. But 32-year-old corner outfielders with little power and subpar defense don’t typically get paid big money. The best Profar could do on the free-agent market in 2024 was a one-year deal for $1 million with the Padres. He cashed in with a career year that now is under a cloud of suspicion because of his suspension.
MLB said Profar tested positive for the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). According to the National Institutes of Health, male athletes use hCG “to stimulate testosterone production before competition and/or to prevent testicular shutdown and atrophy during and after prolonged courses of” anabolic steroid use. In other words, Profar’s positive test for hCG suggests that he might have been using something else.
In a statement released by the players’ association, Profar said that he never would “willingly take a banned substance.” He didn’t offer any details on how he could test positive unwillingly. It’s just as well. No one would buy any explanation he could come up with.
The Braves won’t be getting what they paid for if Profar doesn’t hit for power anymore. That’s potentially the most damaging aspect of Profar’s suspension in the long term. It’s not the only one. Anthopoulos said the Braves “did a lot of work” on figuring out how Profar would fit in their clubhouse. Now, Profar’s actions could alienate his new teammates.
The Braves were counting on Profar to be their everyday outfielder, diversify their all-or-nothing lineup and help them win games. That would be good for all Braves players because winning teams tend to have stable rosters. Profar’s teammates will try to win without him over 80 games of this season. If they make the postseason, then Profar won’t be there to help.
Braves players didn’t have much to say about Profar’s suspension in Monday. They referred to a team statement in which the Braves said they were “surprised and extremely disappointed” to learn of the ban. Players said they plan to block out the noise and move forward.
“It’s never easy,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson said before the team opened a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. “But we’re professionals. It’s what we do. It’s what we get paid to do. It’s what we have to do. A game’s still going on tonight.”
Add Profar’s suspension to the list of early-season pratfalls for the Braves.
They came to L.A. after getting swept in four games to begin the season in San Diego. Soon after MLB announced Profar’s suspension, the Braves placed starting pitcher Reynaldo López on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation. The Braves haven’t yet played a home game and already it feels as if the season has gone sideways.
Profar’s absence will mean more playing time for Bryan De La Cruz and Alex Verdugo. Braves manager Brian Snitker sent out De La Cruz to take Profar’s spot in left field Monday. Verdugo was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett near the end of spring training so he could work his way up to playing in a game. Star outfielder Ronald Acuña is expected to return from a knee injury in about a month.
Profar will be eligible to play for the Braves again at the end of June. He’s by far the best option they have to play alongside Harris and Acuña in the outfield. The problem for Anthopoulos is that Profar may not be the player he thought he was getting, and the Braves still owe him a lot of money through 2027.
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