Like it or not, the Braves desperately need Jurickson Profar

The Braves’ offense shouldn’t be this bad. There are three MVP-caliber players, another three All-Stars, and a Rookie of the Year frontrunner.

Alex Anthopoulos can try to manufacture some juice offensively, but where exactly is that going to happen? At shortstop? The likelihood that the Braves are able to find a significant upgrade over Nick Allen is slim to none.

Simply put, Atlanta’s chances of improvement are strictly internal. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Drake Baldwin have been outstanding, but the Braves need more from Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II, in particular. Those four players haven’t been good enough, but no position has cost Atlanta quite like left field, ranking 28th in the league in OPS. Fortunately, the Braves might have an answer to the black hole. Some might not like it, but the club needs Jurickson Profar.

After signing a $42 million free agent deal, the only one Anthopoulos handed out this past winter, Profar was immediately popped for PED use. It’s fair to question what he will give the Braves when he returns. After all, he earned All-Star honors for the first time in his career in 2024, which spanned 11 seasons at the time. Prior to that, he was essentially a replacement level player for a decade.

However, the underlying metrics backed up the Braves’ decision to hand Profar that contract. He slashed .280/.380/.459 with 24 bombs and a 135 OPS+ (35% higher than the league average).  In the other seasons, he slashed .238/.322/.383 with nine home runs per season on average and a 92 OPS+ (8% below league average).

It might not be a coincidence that Profar had by far his best season right before getting caught with a PED that is used to mask steroids. Hopefully, that isn’t the case, because the Braves need him. Left field has been an offensive zero for too long; if Jurickson Profar can give the Braves even league average production, it would be a vast improvement over what they’ve had so far.

Some Braves fans might be thinking to themselves: He’s not eligible for the postseason; he spurned the team, etc. But listen, the only goal for the Braves right now is to get to the postseason. They can worry about the rest once they get there.