The San Diego Padres have a lot of money tied up in their stars. They have so much money tied up in these players that it’s handicapped them from adding much talent this winter.
As a result, the Padres may be forced to watch their free agents walk out the door, though they’ll likely be aggressive in retaining their talent.
Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball recently made a shocking prediction. Finkelstein predicted the Padres would lose out on outfielder Jurickson Profar in free agency with the breakout star projected to sign with the San Francisco Giants.
“Profar was an All-Star, posting a 4-win season while playing on a one-year deal that paid him just $1 million,” Finkelstein wrote. “Last year, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. received a three-year, $42 million deal to stay with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he was not coming off an All-Star season. With the lack of track record with Profar, it is hard to project him getting more than three years.”
Up until now, the expectation has been that Profar will end up with the Padres again. Last season, the Padres took a shot on the veteran outfielder and it paid off tremendously. This season, Profar could repay San Diego by opting to return.
A deal with the Giants isn’t off the table though. San Francisco has already seen outfielder Michael Conforto leave town for a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now San Francisco could replace Conforto with Profar.
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