Padres utilityman Jurickson Profar won’t opt out of his contract with the team, instead choosing to exercise his $6.5MM player option for the 2022 season, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).
Profar’s free agent deal with the Padres last winter contains three guaranteed years, though Profar had opt-out clauses after both this season and the 2022 season. Opting out would have allowed Profar to pocket a $1MM buyout and then test the open market, though he will now receive a $6.5MM salary from the Padres in 2022, plus $1.5MM in remaining signing bonus money. Profar is set to earn $7.5MM in 2023 if he doesn’t opt out of that year, with another $1MM buyout attached. The two sides also have a $10MM mutual option on Profar’s services for the 2024 season ($1MM buyout).
There wasn’t much suspense behind Profar’s decision, as leaving $15.5MM on the table wouldn’t have been advisable considering Profar’s lackluster 2021 numbers. Profar hit .227/.329/.320 with four home runs over 412 plate appearances, and was a sub-replacement level player in the eyes of Fangraphs’ WAR metric (-0.7). While Profar had strong walk and strikeout rates, he simply didn’t make much hard contact, finishing in only the seventh percentile in hard-hit ball rate and barrel rate. Profar was further hampered by a pair of stints on the COVID-related injury list, which cost him around three weeks of action.
It seemed as if Profar was turning on the corner after a solid 2020 season, yet his struggles this year only added to his history of inconsistency at the big league level. Once considered the game’s top prospect during his time in the Rangers farm system, Profar hasn’t been able to put everything together, and his progress hasn’t been helped by a number of injuries along the way. After playing in parts of eight MLB seasons, Profar has only 4.6 fWAR and a .236/.320/.384 slash line to show for 2444 plate appearances.
This track record notwithstanding, Profar’s good 2020 season and his top-prospect reputation garnered him quite a bit of interest on the open market last year, and the Padres were willing to go to three years to retain him. That investment doesn’t look great one season into the deal, as while Profar was intended for something of a super-utility role in the first place, he doesn’t have a clear path to regular at-bats on next year’s Padres roster. There is still hope for a late breakout at age-29, and while Profar’s salary isn’t exorbitant by itself, San Diego is already pushing the luxury tax threshold even before making any offseason roster adds.
That was a gimme. He wasn’t going to make $7 million anywhere else.
while I think he’s a somewhat valuable Swiss army knife, you are correct about his value on the market
This was another terrible contract handed out by Preller. Not as bad as Hosmer but when has a player like Profar ever deserved opt-outs? Not only that but his salary is way too high. He was never anything more than a bench player. Some times players get paid too much but giving Jurickson Profar of all people opt outs? A straight 2-year deal for $10 million was too much for this guy. Preller gives him a 3-year deal for over $20 million with opt-outs? In. Sane.
Not sure anyone else would be willing to pay him more than $6.5M.
Well color me shocked.
I see SD dodged a bullet there. Without Profar backing up Kim, who is backing up Frazier, who is backing up Cronenworth, then SD could’ve been caught short at the 2B position.
I really found it strange for the Padres to acquire Frazier back at the trade deadline. What are they going to do with him now? Play him in left field? No way he pushes Cronenworth off of 2B. Maybe they just flip him this winter?
They signed Frazier at the time SS position was up in air (Tatis shoulder), and because Kim and Profar (and most of the rest of the team) were not hitting to contact. So then Frazier came on board and didn’t hit either.
I also didnt like the trade, not so much because they didn’t need IF help, but because Frazier has never been much more than light-hitter, AND they needed SP much more,. The trade said a lot the teams opinion of Kim and Profar, frankly. And they gave up a nice prospect in the deal. And Frazier, who doesn’t hit HRs or get SBs, doesn’t seem to offer much other than a 260-270 BA.
If we learned anything from the Braves in August-WS, it’s that 3-run HR power throughout the lineup comes in handy.
He’s pretty much a league average hitter, outside of his hot start to 2021. He’s a good fielder at second base, but you’re getting a 2-WAR player.
Every player in the loneup MUST hit for power? Is that a rule?
You don’t buy high on a player just to flip him 6 months later. You do it to use him.
Ask the White Sox about Kimbrel then. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but where are they going to play him? I guess left field if they end up keeping him.
The same place they were planning to play him when they traded for him.
So second base? Again, I don’t really see the fit. Does that mean they’ll move Cronenworth over to 1B, and then move Hos to a 1B/DH platoon/bench role? I figured LF since they don’t have Pham anymore. So then what happens later in the year if Abrams comes back strong? Tatis to RF? Padres have about 5 guys who can play 2B/SS right now that will be in the majors sometime in 2022. Frazier, Tatis, Cronenworth, Kim, Abrams, and Profar. Sure, Kim and Profar are pretty much just bench/utility options, but the point still stands. It’s a crowded middle infield picture and I wouldn’t rule out him being dealt if the opportunity arose.
@mlb1225 Clearly they have a plan otherwise he never would have been traded for at all. Again. You don’t buy high on a guy just to flip him 6 months later. Ever.
Hey, I’m not saying you’re wrong. But we’re also talking about the Padres. Impulse moves seem to be their thing, whether that’s a good thing or bad thing is up for you to decide. From an outsider’s point of view, the plan is either to put him in left field, the only position that can keep both him and Cronenworth in the line-up and at their best defensive positions, and not let Hosmer and his $13 million sit on the bench, or use him as trade bait.
They still have some holes to fill. Namely, the pitching staff. Their three big trades; Musgrove, Snell, and Darvish, all were inconsistent throughout the year (Musgrove the most consistent, but still had his ups-and-downs). Bullpen, well it’s pretty much a toss-up. Key players like Melancon and Johnson are free agents. Their best 8th and 9th inning options right now consist of Pomeranz, Pagan, Lamet, and Stammen.
It wouldn’t come as a major surprise if they did end up trading him. Frazier only has one year of control left. They have Tatis Jr. for the forseeable future, Cronenworth hasn’t hit arbitration yet, and CJ Abrams in the minors. If there was any player to be traded among them, it would be Frazier.
@mlb1225 Well then the plan is to keep Frazier in LF. Because we already know the plan isn’t to use him as trade bait. You don’t buy high on a guy in the middle of a career year whose remaining club control is quickly evaporating to “use him as trade bait” 6 months later. That makes no sense at all.
“Clearly, they have a plan?” Have you been watching Preller for the last seven years?
@SDHotDawg Sure did and you don’t buy a player at peak value with the intention of flipping him 6 months later. Like, who does that?
I feel like when they made that trade there was a lot of chatter about them trying to unload Hosmer before the deadline, which obviously didn’t happen because that’s a hard salary to dump.
Hypothetically if they could do that they could slide Cronenworth to 1B, play Frazier at 2B with Kim and Profar as utility guys. If they can find a way to get rid of Hosmer, that could still work for 2022. Frazier/Cronenworth seems preferable to Cronenworth/Hosmer both offensively and defensively.
@CNichols Well that’s a silly thing to say. Of course they didn’t trade for Frazier because they thought they would unload Hosmer. You never make a move that is predicated on another move that hasn’t been finalized yet. Especially when that other move involves trading a top 5 untradeable contract in baseball.
They were below .500 what bullet would that be
they could have signed a better player for less…
That’s not Preller way
When is the top 50 FA list
Was it an unexercised opt-out clause or an exercised player option? You seem to have said both. Baseball nerds want to know. At least one does.
Former
It was the latter. It was a player option.
Of course he is no other dimwit GM other than Preller paying him this dough
The hype/projections/talent really never matched his output.
But glad he exercised the option. Don’t have a horse in the race, but JP is set for life……Spend well young padawan….
Hopes and prayers that Scott Kingery becomes a slightly better Jurickson Profar……or even Jurickson Profar…..
Still have no idea what Jurickson Profar ever did to deserve opt-out clauses.
The issue last off season was the Phan stabbing and the Tatis negotiations. Profar and Tatis are tight and the outfield depth was bad. Profar was an insurance policy for his versatility.
Not really an insurance policy when you give him the ability to bolt if he’s providing value on his contract.
Preller has a man-crush on Profar or Profar had photos of AJ being a bad boy. Bad deal for the Padres.
Monopoly Money Preller…
East decision for him. He sucks and this is free money lol
Profar is a 40 man roster piece making millions. AAA player with no other prospects. He hit the Lotto with Preller.
Nothing new from misfit GM
Preller likes blind and three-legged cats.