Rockies, Jurickson Profar Agree to One-Year Deal
The Colorado Rockies have made their best move of the offseason, signing outfielder Jurickson Profar to a one-year contract worth $7.75 million, per MLB.com’s Jon Heyman.
It was surprising that Profar, 30, didn’t get signed until mid-march. The former Padres left fielder played 152 games last season, a career-high in his ninth season. He also had a career-high in doubles with 36. An OPS+ of 111 tells a good story. This stat means that Profar was 11% better than the league average hitter.
Profar was also rumored to sign with a contender, but instead, he chose Colorado.
The Rockies are replacing one of their best hitters Brendan Rodgers, who may miss the entire season with a torn labrum. Their lineup has absolutely nothing to fear without Rodgers, so the addition of Profar will provide opponents with something to gameplan against, at least. A switch hitter, Profar is a flexible hitter who does not strike out a lot. He’ll slide into the starting lineup, likely to bat lead-off.
With a one-year deal, Profar can show teams that he still has some juice in the hitter-friendly Coors Field. This deal adds to the list of free agents that Colorado will have after this season, a queue that already includes Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron. As long as the Rockies aren’t contenders, all three of these players could be a part of a potential trade package for a team who may be in need.
Once the number one prospect in all of baseball, Profar has had an interesting career. Profar made his debut as a 19-year-old in 2012 with the Rangers. He missed all of 2014 and ’15 with shoulder injuries. After his Texas stint, Profar was traded to Oakland, where he caught a case of the yips, flashing a career-high in errors.
A position change and a trade to San Diego helped Profar help steady the ship of his career. He spent the next three seasons with the Padres and now ends up in Colorado.
This is the Rockies’ best move of the off-season. Profar will get plenty of at-bats wearing purple, silver, and black.
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