The start to 2025 has been less than ideal for the Atlanta Braves. They were swept by the San Diego Padres in a four game and set only to take their bags to Los Angeles on Monday to play three more games against the best team in baseball, the Dodgers.
It is still early in the season and losing seven consecutive games to start a 162 game season is the absolute worst case scenario, right? Well actually, no. The Braves fan base took a sucker punch to the gut when the news broke Monday that their biggest offseason addition, Jurickson Profar, tested positive for PEDs and will serve an 80-game suspension.
Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has tested positive for a banned substance called hCG and will be suspended 80 games, sources say. First reported: @mikedeportes.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) March 31, 2025
No one could have saw this coming. Unless the Atlanta Braves already did? Did Alex Anthopoulos and the front office add outfield insurance to the organization because they saw Profar’s suspension coming?
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Braves’ outfield signings could have been preparation for Jurickson Profar’s absence
Perhaps the biggest need the Atlanta Braves needed to address this offseason was pitching. The starting rotation could afford some upgrades and the bullpen is a hot mess. Instead, Alex Anthopoulos decided to sign outfielder Jurickson Profar to a three-year deal worth $42 million. This contract seemed like a bargain at the time.
The idea was that at full strength manager Brian Snitker would roll out Jurickson Profar, Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. in the outfield. Now the Braves are still without Acuña for at least another month and without Profar for 80 games thanks to a positive PED (performance-enhancing drug) test. So where will the Braves turn now to fill the vacant outfield spots?
By signing Alex Verdugo to a minor-league deal right before the start of the regular season and making an interesting trade for an outfielder just this afternoon, it feels like the Braves were trying to get ahead of Profar’s suspension and find his replacement before the news even broke.
Verdugo’s contract is one-year for $1.5 million, and Atlanta sent cash considerations to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for outfielder Stuart Fairchild. Before Profar’s suspension was made public, these moves didn’t really make a lot of sense. Now, given the circumstances the Braves are under, you can’t help but wonder what Atlanta knew before the results of Profar’s test came back.
