Jurickson Profar Agreement with Padres

SAN DIEGO – One of the last pieces of the Padres’ intricate offseason puzzle may have just fallen into place. San Diego appear to have significantly bolstered their bench on Friday, accepting a deal to bring back Jurickson Profar, a free agent, sources said. The club

SAN DIEGO – One of the last pieces of the Padres’ intricate offseason puzzle may have just fallen into place.

San Diego appear to have significantly bolstered their bench on Friday, agreeing to a deal to bring back Jurickson Profar, a free agent, sources said. The club have yet to confirm the signing, which is on physical waiting and will last three years and worth $ 21 million, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

Profar spent the 2020 season in San Diego, hitting .278 / .343 / .428 while playing five different positions defensively – mostly on left court after Tommy Pham’s injury. The 27-year-old change-hitter is entering his eighth Big League season, the first five of which have arrived in Texas. He arrived in San Diego last offseason as part of a deal sending wide receiver Austin Allen to the A’s.

The affable Profar quickly became a favorite in the San Diego clubhouse, and he’s made it clear that he is suitable for any role. This is important, as Pham should be back at full strength for spring training, and the Padres return to start at eight positions. Additionally, they signed skillful infielder Ha-Seong Kim from Korea earlier this month.

That doesn’t seem to leave bats available for Profar. But he’s a switch-hitter who can play virtually anywhere in the outfield and infield. The Padres are confident they will find playing time for him.

“We’ll get to spring training, we’ll really start digging more when everyone’s on the pitch,” Preller said earlier this month ahead of the signing. “We are convinced that we have players who can move around.

Again, he also goes from 60 games to [162] Games. We’ve talked about it a lot as a group here. Last year was really a sprint. This year is back to a marathon. … We will keep our players cool. “

Corner day trippers Pham and Wil Myers have dealt with their share of ailments over the years, and Profar provides valuable insurance. More than that, it should allow manager Jayce Tingler to rest Pham or Myers whenever he sees fit, potentially against tough right-hangers. Profar could also serve as a defensive replacement for Pham in left field, as he did in the 2020 playoffs.

Either way, the acquisition of Profar probably fills what should be a powerful bench in San Diego. Assuming all eight returning starters fill those same roles, here’s a look at the Padres’ bench options:

Certainly in: Profar, Kim, C Victor Caratini

In the mixture: BY Brian O’Grady, DE Jorge Oña, C Luis Campusano, IF Jorge Mateo

Profar’s signing is just the latest move in a busy offseason for Preller. He has already added three big pitchers to his rotation in Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove. On the bench he added Kim, Caratini and O’Grady and has now re-signed Profar.

If there is one area left that might need an upgrade, it’s the bullpen. But that need could be met by moving Ryan Weathers and Adrian Morejon to relief roles, now that Musgrove has seemingly solidified the rotation.

Again, there’s always the possibility that the Padres will add backup aid or Minor League depth. (It would not be already be careful to state that Preller has finished his moves.)

But after their latest acquisition, Preller and the Padres seem to be content to head to Spring Training with this group. It’s a busy winter, to say the least.