The Atlanta Braves broke their offseason silence last night, inking a deal with All-Star outfielder Jurickson Profar. The signing was first reported by Jeff Passan, and the Braves later announced the details of the contract.
It’s a three-year, $42 million deal for Profar, a more than palatable rate for a player that made major strides last year after adjusting his approach to the plate. The contract will pay him $12 million in 2025, followed by $15 million in 2026 and 2027.
The Braves now have their answer in the outfield, but they still have some significant holes to fill. Shortstop could be upgraded, but the more pertinent needs lie with the pitching staff. The depth of the rotation has questions with Max Fried and Charlie Morton departing in free agency, and the bullpen is far from championship caliber without A.J. Minter, who signed with the Mets, and Joe Jimenez, who could miss all of the 2025 season after undergoing offseason knee surgery.
Arms have not come cheap in this market, whether it’s starters or relievers, which is why the Braves haven’t landed one. However, if we go by MLB.com’s Mark Bowman’s recent report, there’s reason to believe they can still make this team look a lot better come Opening Day.
“One source recently suggested the Braves have approximately $33 million to spend this offseason. This would put them slightly over the luxury tax’s first threshold, a hurdle president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said he’s willing to clear,” Bowman wrote before the signing of Jurickson Profar.
Bowman’s report coincides with what Alex Anthopoulos had to say to the media last night. He affirmed the Braves still have flexibility to add to their roster. However, they aren’t close to anything at the moment.
“Anthopoulos said #Braves have payroll flexibility to add to rotation & bullpen, but said they’re not close on a deal and made it clear any starter would have to make sense for them to block Holmes, Anderson, etc,” David O’Brien of The Athletic reported on Twitter/X.
The good news is there is still over a month to go before the start of the season. Assuming the Braves have around $20 million to spend, if not more, that’s plenty to address the bullpen, at the very least. Finding a playoff caliber starter in this market, given their financial restrictions, might prove difficult, but it would be pretty shocking to see them stand pat before Opening Day.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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