SAN DIEGO (AP) — Free agent Jurickson Profar and the San Diego Padres have agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract that gives the 30-year-old outfielder the chance to make another $1.5 million in perftrmance bonuses based on plate appearances, two people familiar with the deal said Monday.
The two people spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the deal is contingent on Profar passing a physical. Profar is currently in his native Curaçao working to obtain a visa and isn’t expected to arrive at spring training in Peoria, Arizona, until later in the week, according to one of the people.
The deal will give the Padres a full complement of outfielders. They currently have only two outfielders on their active roster, Platinum Glove Award-winning right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jose Azocar.
Profar primarily played left field with the Padres from 2020-22 and again when he rejoined them late last season, although he played some at the other outfield positions as well as in the infield and as the designated hitter.
He declined a $7.5 million player option after the 2022 season and signed a $7.75 million, one-year deal with Colorado. He was released on Aug. 27 and signed a minor league deal with the Padres four days later. He played in 14 games down the stretch for the Padres, who missed the playoffs despite having baseball’s third-highest payroll on opening day, $258 million, and having reached the NL Championship Series in 2022.
The switch-hitter is a .238 career hitter with 87 home runs and 359 RBIs in 10 big league seasons. He’s also played for Texas and Oakland.
The cost-cutting Padres could also turn to prospects to bolster their outfield depth.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
