As if the Atlanta Braves' early-season struggles weren't frustrating enough, they were dealt a major blow with Jurickson Profar, the team's lone notable offseason addition, being suspended for 80 games after testing positive for PEDs. Profar is not only going to miss several months of the regular season without pay as a result of his positive test, but he will be ineligible to participate in the postseason if the Braves get there.
Again, this is a major blow for the Braves. Profar was brought in to be a major contributor in what was supposed to be a very deep lineup. Now, the Braves are playing both Bryan De La Cruz and Jarred Kelenic just about every day, which isn't great. Profar's sudden suspension had Bob Nightengale of USA Today wondering if the Braves were scammed by the veteran outfielder.
"Atlanta, who spent most of their money on outfielder Jurickson Profar this winter with a three-year, $42 million contract, now have to wonder if they were scammed," Nightengale wrote.
While this is a question many MLB fans likely have, it's one that realistically ignores reality.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
The Braves were not conned by Jurickson Profar
To be abundantly clear - no, Profar did not "scam" the Braves. The Braves made a bet on a player that backfired.
The Braves signed Profar hoping he'd be able to replicate or build off of what turned out to be a career year. In the 2024 campaign, Profar set career highs in home runs (24), RBI (89), OPS (.839), and bWAR (3.6). While it might have been strange to see a 31-year-old break out in his tenth MLB season, nothing points to him having been using PEDs. In fact, Profar says he was tested eight times over the course of the 2024 season, and not a single one of them came back positive.
This is a terrible situation for all involved. The Braves, obviously, did not want to sign a player knowing he'd miss half of his first season with the club. However, who's to say Profar was "scamming" the Braves? Do we really think he wanted to lose a substantial amount of money immediately after signing a life-changing $42 million deal? Profar already got paid, why would he go out of his way to con the Braves immediately after that?
At the end of the day, there's a difference between Profar making a mistake and Profar scamming the Braves. Taking something that contained a PED was a major mistake, and Profar is paying the price. In hindsight, the Braves almost certainly do regret signing him. Profar being suspended, however, does not mean he scammed them. That is a claim without any real backing.