The San Diego Padres have been dead silent this offseason. They lost Tanner Scott to the Los Angeles Dodgers and also missed out on right-hander Roki Sasaki, who also joined the Dodgers.
Sooner or later, they’re going to need to do something if they want to keep pace with the rest of the National League, especially the NL West, where the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants have also been quite busy.
Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com listed the Padres as the best potential landing spot for super utility man Jurickson Profar.
“In Profar’s case, the incumbent is clearly the best option. The outfielder has played for four teams in his career and he’s recorded a 91 OPS+ or lower for three of them. In parts of five seasons for the Padres? A 113 OPS+, including a personal-best 134 OPS+ with 24 homers and 85 RBIs in his surprising 2024 breakout season. Profar is clearly comfortable in San Diego. The Padres, meanwhile, haven’t made a single notable addition this offseason and are currently projected to have the worst left-field situation in all of baseball, but they can address that by bringing back Profar,” Harrigan wrote.
Profar slashed .280/.380/.459 with 24 home runs, 85 RBI, an .839 OPS and a 3.6 WAR. He also stole 10 bases during the regular season.
He can provide power from both sides of the plate and play multiple positions on the field. The Padres would be wise to consider bringing him back after the year he had.
He earned an All-Star nod and a Silver Slugger award, both for the first time in his career. It will be interesting to see if the Padres decide to make him an offer or let him walk.
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