The Profar Paradox: Jurickson Departure from San Diego Looks Increasingly Likely

The more time that passes without the San Diego Padres signing outfielder Jurickson Profar, the more likely it is that he will leave.

With that being said, the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels have been linked to the All-Star, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

As a free agent, Profar is seeking a three-year deal, at least. The length of the deal combined with the value of the contract could put the Padres out of the running for the outfielder, which leaves the door open for another team like the Mariners or Angels to snag him.

However, several insiders including R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports think the Padres will re-sign the outfielder.

“Profar is a difficult player to evaluate: all the underlying measures indicated that last season contained real gains. At the same time, teams are right to be skeptical about age-31 breakout efforts,” Anderson wrote. “For those reasons, Profar’s top outcome always seemed to be returning to the Padres. Who knows, maybe one of the teams who came up short on Teoscar Hernández – be it the (Boston) Red Sox, (New York) Mets, whoever – decides to chance it with Profar in case he can put up another year like last.”

The team is openly looking to reduce payroll, but their offseason strategy remains uncertain, with no major trades or signings so far. After cutting nearly $100 million in payroll in 2023, the Padres still managed to stay competitive, showing they can do more with less.

President of baseball operations A.J. Preller faces the tough task of crafting another successful offseason plan, though his approach is still unclear. Despite the financial hurdles, manager Mike Shildt remains confident that the team’s performance on the field won’t be compromised.

“We’re not naive that there are certain organizations that have just more competitive advantages,” manager Mike Shildt said. “That’s no state secret, right? We live that every day. I can look at that, and we can look at that as, ‘Oh, woe is us. We don’t have the resources. We don’t have the flexibility. We don’t have the payroll or the income streams.’ And that can be absolutely accurate and factual, and it is. The reality from my seat, our clubhouse seat, our team seat is, it’s still a game that requires you to play right, compete a certain way, play the game a certain way. Clearly the more resources you have, the more talent you can accrue, and that’s real. Talent shows up. We can’t kid ourselves. But effectively it’s about how we’re going to figure out a way to compete and play the game right with the ability that we’ve been given.”

Profar’s impact goes beyond his stats — his energy in the clubhouse is a game-changer for any team. While the Padres likely want him back next season, they’re still facing a significant financial challenge.