The Rockies are in settlement with free agent outfielder Jurickson Profar, stories Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Profar can be assured $7.75MM however can get the overall as much as $8.75MM with 400 plate appearances. The deal is pending a bodily.
Profar, 30, has had an up-and-down profession however is coming off arguably the very best season of his profession. Though his energy is pretty modest, he has a superb eye and powerful bat-to-ball abilities. His 11.1% stroll fee and 15.7% strikeout fee this 12 months had been each a couple of share factors higher than league averages. Along along with his 15 residence runs, that led to a .243/.331/.391 batting line and a 110 wRC+, indicating the switch-hitter was 10% higher than the league common hitter total.
Defensively, although he’s performed everywhere in the diamond in his profession, the Padres stored him solely in left discipline final 12 months. That consistency could have suited him, as he was given a +2 grade from Defensive Runs Saved and a +1.1 from Ultimate Zone Rating, although Outs Above Average was much less enthused and gave him a mark of -5. Taking his complete season collectively, FanGraphs thought-about him to be value 2.5 wins above alternative, the very best tally of his profession so far.
Going into the 2021 season, the Padres had signed Profar to a three-year, $21MM deal that afforded him the chance to decide out after every season. The first 12 months of the deal didn’t go properly, as Profar hit simply 4 homers whereas being bounced across the discipline in a utility capability. He declined to set off his first opt-out and caught with the Friars for 2022, earlier than having a significantly better marketing campaign within the second 12 months. Going into the 2022-23 offseason, he had only one 12 months remaining on his deal, valued at $7.5MM. He determined to go for the $1MM buyout and turn into a free agent, leaving $6.5MM on the desk.
Profar continued to linger on the open marketplace for months, the final of MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents that was nonetheless out there till now. Recent reporting had recommended he had been attempting to get $10MM per season, however that apparently didn’t materialize primarily based on the truth that he remained unattached for thus lengthy. He’ll now accept a deal a bit beneath that, although he’ll nonetheless find yourself making a bit extra money than if he had simply stayed with the Padres.
For the Rockies, they’ve some query marks of their outfield, as Sean Bouchard not too long ago underwent biceps surgical procedure that would preserve him out all 12 months whereas Randal Grichuk goes to overlook the primary few weeks of the season resulting from sports activities hernia surgical procedure. That leaves Kris Bryant, Yonathan Daza and Charlie Blackmon as the first choices, although Blackmon made extra begins at designated hitter final 12 months and appears prone to do the identical going ahead, particularly contemplating that his 2022 was ended by knee surgical procedure. Daza ought to have middle discipline spoken for till Grichuk returns, at which level they may cut up the duties there as they did in 2022. Like Profar, Bryant settled in as a full-time left fielder final 12 months, regardless of prolonged time on the infield earlier in his profession. When Grichuk went down earlier within the spring, Bryant started spending extra time in proper, per Thomas Harding of MLB.com. That appears to counsel that he might yield left to Profar whereas splitting proper discipline and the designated hitter spot with Blackmon. Bryant was restricted by harm to solely 42 video games final 12 months, making it smart so as to add one other nook outfielder into the combo and maybe scale back his workload on the grass a bit. Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette stories that the plan is certainly for Bryant to be in proper with Blackmon primarily serving because the designated hitter.
Though Profar is coming off a good 12 months, there’s nonetheless some threat right here for the Rockies, given his inconsistency. Once one of many high prospects within the sport, shoulder accidents stored him from showing within the huge leagues in any respect in 2014 or 2015. In the subsequent two campaigns, he was wholesome however struggled to determine himself in sporadic taking part in time. He lastly had a good season in 2018 however the Rangers shortly bought excessive, buying and selling him to Oakland. Unfortunately, he appeared to battle “the yips” along with his new group, as he made 11 throwing errors from second base in 2019 and acquired flipped to San Diego. He was stable sufficient within the shortened 2020 marketing campaign to earn himself a three-year deal however, as talked about, struggled within the first earlier than rebounding within the second.
The Rockies can be hoping that one other 12 months of getting a constant left discipline place will permit him to be much less mercurial on the plate. It’s additionally potential that taking part in in Coors Field will swimsuit him properly, given the famously skinny ambiance and huge outfield. Perhaps these situations will permit Profar to launch a couple of extra residence runs or just spray the ball everywhere in the outfield, given his low-strikeout method. With simply 11 days till Opening Day, it is likely to be truthful to count on {that a} participant signing now would want a spring ramp-up and wouldn’t be prepared for Opening Day. However, Profar is likely to be a distinct case since he was not too long ago representing the Netherlands within the World Baseball Classic.
The Rockies had been already working a franchise-high payroll and this deal will nudge them a bit additional into that territory. Roster Resource now pegs their spending at $170MM for the season, properly past their earlier excessive of $145MM, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. However, it’s potential that the ultimate tally finally ends up beneath that, as most observers aren’t anticipating the Rockies to be contenders this 12 months. Players like Profar, Grichuk and C.J. Cron are impending free brokers and make first rate salaries, maybe resulting in them changing into commerce chips this summer season if the Rockies don’t turn into shock opponents. Then once more, the Rockies have additionally stunned many onlookers, and their very own gamers, by their lack of commerce deadline exercise, in order that’s no assure.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
