The Inevitable Has Arrived! Padres Poised to Land Coveted All-Star Free Agent
The San Diego Padres have yet to orchestrate a major league signing, but the team is expected to bring back outfielder Jurickson Profar, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.
“A reunion between Profar and the Padres, meanwhile, has been seen by some as an inevitability,” Gonzalez wrote.
It was reported early in the offseason that the Padres and Profar were mutually interested in a reunion, but a deal has not transpired. It by no means San Diego isn’t interested in the outfielder since the team hasn’t done much this winter.
Profar is one of the many free agents who remain on the market. The Toronto Blue Jays have also been linked to the outfielder, but it seems unlikely since Toronto traded for Myles Straw. MLB insider Jon Morosi recently shared he was surprised there wasn’t more chatter surrounding Profar this winter.
“Profar is a switch-hitter, and the lack of discussion broadly speaking of this man is just baffling to me,” Morosi said on MLB Network. “Because you look at what he did last year, he’s not an old player, he’s entering his age 32 season.”
In 2024, Profar slashed .280/.380/.459 with a career-high 24 home runs, 29 doubles, 85 runs batted in, and 94 runs. The outfielder’s age has been a topic of discussion throughout his free agent process, as many teams have questioned whether Profar can replicate his performance from last season.
Although Profar is a fan favorite, the Padres likely haven’t re-signed him because the organization was waiting for the Roki Sasaki saga to reach a conclusion. Now that Sasaki has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Padres could be active in free agency.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this offseason has been one of the slowest in history for the Padres. But now that Sasaki is officially off the board, the front office can quickly turn things around with key signings such as Profar.
