The versatile veteran would the Orioles with the on-base threat and run producer they often lacked down the stretch last season.
When I sat down to write this offseason wish list article, I was certain that I’d be wishing for another pitcher to add to the Orioles staff. Then, Baltimore announced the signing of Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano, and the writing on the wall became clear. Between the signing of Sugano and potential pursuits of Corbin Burnes and Roki Sasaki, the Orioles no longer seem intent on truly exploring all options in the starting pitching market.
So I turned to sifting through the available position players, searching for the a name that would look great in black and orange. After all, while the signings of Tyler O’Neill and Gary Sánchez give the Orioles replacements for Anthony Santander and James McCann, Baltimore’s crop of position players still has room for improvement. After much searching, the metaphorical Red Sea of available free agents parted and the perfect name emerged: Jurickson Profar.
For much of his career, Profar was known as the former No. 1 overall prospect who never quite lived up to the hype he generated in the minors. After an up and down rookie season in 2013 with the Rangers, he battled poor performance and injuries before finally emerging as an everyday player in 2018.
He set career highs in home runs, RBIs, average and OPS before the Rangers traded him to the A’s, who year later shipped him off to the Padres. After three years of largely replacement level performance in San Diego, Profar signed in 2023 with the Rockies, only to be released and end up back with the Padres later that year.
The reunion with the Padres propelled Profar to a career year in 2024, as he set new career highs across the board and earned his first All-Star appearance. His breakout campaign saw him anchor a Padres lineup that led the major leagues in hits and virtually tied Arizona for the league lead in batting average.
What Profar would bring to the Orioles’ talented group of young hitters is a certain patience that the O’s seemed to lack throughout the offensive struggles in the second half of 2024. While no one loves the three-run home run more than Birdland, far too often last season it felt like Orioles hitters went up chasing the long ball instead of stringing together hits and sustaining offensive rallies.
A large reason for Profar’s breakout last season was due to his patient, measured approach at the plate. He ranked in the 90th percentile in chase rate and swing and miss rate while also finishing 11th in MLB in walks. To look at Profar’s Baseball Savant profile is to see a hitter with excellent bat control who hits the ball to where he’s pitched. Despite barreling up the ball at a below average rate, Profar was still able to generate a well above average hard hit rate and expected slugging percentage.
Profar’s bat-to-ball abilities and propensity at getting on base (he finished seventh in on-base percentage last season) would bring a dimension to the Orioles offense that was sorely missing much of last season. Despite ranking top five in runs scored and home runs, the Orioles were fairly average when it came to getting on base. This problem was evident in the Orioles’ two playoff losses to the Royals, when they racked up 22 Ks vs. only 4 walks. The O’s also struggled to hit with runners in scoring position, finishing 17th in average with RISP before going 1-13 with RISP in the playoffs.
Profar not only would offer a boost to their on-base numbers but is coming off a season where he hit .321 with RISP. The 31-year-old would also add another bat who could platoon at multiple positions. Although he played almost exclusively LF for the Padres last season, Profar has more than 1,700 career innings at 2B and has played every position in the field outside of catcher. The Orioles added O’Neill in no small part due to his .313 average and 1.179 OPS against lefties last season. Adding Profar would give the O’s another another outfielder who excels at hitting lefties (.300 average, .885 OPS in 2024) while also giving them a player who could platoon at 2B.
The 11-year veteran from Curacao would also add an additional veteran presence to a lineup that can be overly reliant on its young stars. Profar has racked up 25 games of postseason experience over the last five seasons in San Diego—a level of October experience that only the incoming Sánchez can match among current Orioles. Profar could also provide a unique voice for a clubhouse full of former No. 1 prospects who have so far experienced varying levels of success at the big league level.
Spotrac projects Profar will sign a three-year deal in the $35-40M range—or about $10M less than the deal the Orioles just gave O’Neill. We still don’t know if the Orioles are willing to double dip in the outfield market while still pursuing Burnes. However, Profar would undoubtedly change the complexion of this lineup and get the Orioles closer to truly chasing a World Series.