The Atlanta Braves front office has to be seething right now—and who can blame them?
Let’s lay it out. You go out and drop $42 million over three years on a guy coming off what looked like a renaissance season—Jurickson Profar batting .280, launching a career-best 24 homers, and stacking a .839 OPS with the Padres.
That’s the kind of output that makes teams open the checkbook. That’s exactly what the Atlanta Braves did this offseason. They signed Profar to be their everyday left fielder, a cornerstone piece in their title push.
Suspension That Changed the Braves Entire Season
Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports discusses how it seems Profar may have taken advantage of Atlanta in a recent article. His curiosity stems from the timing of it all. The season starts and boom—PED suspension.
It’s not just a slap on the wrist. It’s 80 games and no postseason. Out of nowhere, the Braves lose a key bat and get stuck with dead money lingering around. Profar forfeits over $5.8 million this season, but the Braves?
They’re still paying up for two and a half more years, no discounts. That’s nearly $36 million still owed to a guy who won’t touch the field until late June—and won’t be around when it counts in October.
Broken System In MLB?
But here’s where it really stings: Atlanta had no idea. According to former MLB exec Dave Samson, the current drug-testing protocol leaves teams completely in the dark.
A player submits a test, and the results come in—but only MLB and the players’ union are in the loop. The team—the ones putting down millions—don’t get a whisper.
So, Profar might have known a suspension was coming. He still sat down at the negotiating table and still signed. The Braves, thinking they were investing in an All-Star-caliber outfielder, may have just inked a deal with someone who knew his upcoming season was already compromised.
Was It the Swing, or Was It the Sauce?
The big question remains, was Profar’s breakout year legit? All offseason, the talk was about mechanical tweaks. There was talk about adjustments to his swing and a mental shift. But those storylines are a lot harder to believe when PEDs enter the chat.
His numbers in 2023—.280 average, 24 bombs, .839 OPS—now come with an asterisk in the minds of fans and analysts. And that early-season slump in Atlanta? Just 16 plate appearances, but a .200 average and a .450 OPS might have been a sign of what’s to come. If that’s the clean version of Profar, the Braves could be in for a long two-and-a-half years.
June 29 is the target. That’s when Profar can return. But by then, Atlanta could be scrambling to make up for lost production, money, and trust. The front office will be watching closely—not just to see if he can perform, but to determine whether they were victims of a system that let them buy high on a player whose ceiling might’ve only existed in a lab.
