Braves outfield outlook following Jurickson Profar signing

In the first (and only) significant move of the offseason, the Braves signed Jurickson Profar to a three-year, $42 million contract.

It filled the single biggest hole on Atlanta’s roster. While the pitching staff needs bolstering, the outfield was by far the bleakest position group when looking ahead to the 2025 campaign.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is set to miss six weeks or more, which meant the Braves were returning just one starter from the end of last season in Michael Harris II.

Now, with Profar in the fold, the Braves outfield outlook looks much better, and Alex Anthopoulos alluded to what the configuration will look like this season. Profar will man left field; he’s not a platoon player. Kelenic will likely assume right field unless De La Cruz wins that position battle until Ronald Acuña Jr. returns to the lineup. In that case, De La Cruz and Kelenic will serve as depth, as both have minor league options remaining.

Profar is a rare 31-year-old breakout, coming off the best season of his career in which he slashed .280/.380/.459 with a career-high 24 home runs and 85 RBIs. He was always capable of that kind of production, but injuries plagued him. He finally stayed healthy, and a swing adjustment led to his first All-Star bid and a Silver Slugger award.

The Braves are buying high on Profar, which is unusual for Alex Anthopoulos, who generally tries to find buy-low, high-upside free agents or trade targets. Regardless, even if Profar doesn’t produce at the level he did for the Padres last year, he doesn’t have to do much to be an improvement over what the Braves had in the outfield last season.

They’re certainly betting that he can replicate that 2024 production, though. If he does, the Braves will arguably have the best outfield in baseball with a healthy Acuña and Harris.

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