At this point, everyone understands that the Atlanta Braves ran into some pretty bad luck when they signed Jurickson Profar to a three-year, $42 million contract a couple of years ago.
After two lengthy PED suspensions, Profar has played just 80 games under that contract.
Now, ahead of the 2027 season, the Braves will have to make some sort of decision on what to do with him going forward.
MLB.com’s Mark Bowman relayed what Alex Anthopoulos’s message was regarding Profar during this week’s GM meetings in Las Vegas.
“We realize it’s something we’re going to have to address,” Alex Anthopoulos said. “But we’d like to get through the winter and have a better handle on what the roster looks like and what’s going to happen between now and Spring Training with signings, role [determinations] and all that stuff.”
So, per Anthopoulos, it sounds like a decision won’t be made in the 2026 calendar year.
However, that doesn’t mean the question of what will happen with Profar goes away.
More MLB on Heavy: MLB Insider Urges Atlanta Braves to Sign Projected $58 Million All-Star Starter
MLB.com’s Bowman Outlines 3 Jurickson Profar Possibilities
In Mark Bowman’s latest piece about Jurickson Profar, the veteran MLB writer outlines three possibilities/routes that the Braves could opt to take.
- “Wait and see”
- “Trade him”
- “Roster battle”
All three are pretty self-explanatory. First, the Braves could wait and see what transpires throughout the rest of this offseason, and then make a decision towards the end of Spring Training in 2027 to make a further determination of his fit with the organization.
Important to note that if he is on the Braves roster, he will be owed $15 million next season.
“Trade him” is also pretty straightforward. It may be a difficult player to trade due to the suspension history, but Bowman notes that GM Anthopoulos has pulled moves like this off in the past (from a contract perspective). Undoubtedly, Profar comes with a lot more baggage than most MLB players on the proverbial trade block, but perhaps another *desperate* club would take a chance on whatever upside they believe he has.
And finally, “roster battle” indicates that the Braves make Profar actually earn his spot on the roster instead of just simply keeping his spot safe based on “production” in the past.
Atlanta Braves fans, which of these three routes proposed by Mark Bowman would you want the organization to take with Jurickson Profar, who has missed over 200 games since 2025 due to PED suspensions?
More MLB on Heavy: Atlanta Braves News & Rumors: Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider, Top FA Targets
Report: Atlanta Braves Have Big Jurickson Profar Decision To Make