The San Diego Padres saw a number of free agents walk away this offseason, including outfielder Jurickson Profar.
More news: Injured Yu Darvish Has No Timetable to Return to Padres
Many fans were hopeful Profar would return to San Diego, especially since his free agency process lasted toward the final days of January. However, the outfielder signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves.
Profar cited the Padres’ ownership issues as a reason for his departure earlier this offseason.
“Obviously the Padres have some issue with the ownership and all that,” Profar said in a video call with the Atlanta media. “It was difficult to go back (to San Diego), but [Braves general manager] Alex [Anthopoulous] showed a lot, a lot of interest in me and I loved that. He gave me a lot of confidence to come to a team and to perform.”
Nevertheless, the former Friar told Annie Heilbrunn of The San Diego Union-Tribune that he was hopeful on a reunion with the Padres this winter, but he was never offered a deal from the front office.
“I said it after the playoffs, like, I want to be there,” Profar said.“But I can’t just grab a contract and sign it. I have to receive one.”
The outfielder’s agent reportedly spoke with the Padres “a little bit” but a deal never transpired.
In 2024, Profar was extremely productive for San Diego. Profar slashed .280/.380/.459 with a career-high 24 home runs, 29 doubles, 85 runs batted in, and 94 runs last season.
Many baseball insiders were shocked about the lack of rumblings around Profar early in the offseason, and that the outfielder remained on the market for so long. Many felt a reunion between Profar and the Padres was ‘inevitable’ once the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes came to an end.
However, the Padres chose to look for cheaper, more affordable options to replace Profar for the 2025 season.
More news: Padres CEO Says Fans Are the Reason Team Can Spend So Much
For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.
