The Braves are staring at an offseason call on Jurickson Profar, and the direction of that decision is starting to feel pretty clear.
Profar has now been suspended in back-to-back years for PEDs, leaving Atlanta to sort through what comes next. Earlier this offseason, Alex Anthopoulos addressed the situation this way: “There isn’t anything that prevents me from talking about it,” Anthopoulos said earlier this offseason. “What I can tell you is, we’re going to have to sit and talk internally just across the board about the whole thing.”
That internal conversation is one thing. Public perception is another, and the latter has already moved in a very firm direction.
My hunch has always been that the Braves will choose to part ways with Profar. He’s completely screwed over the organization not once but twice, and even if Atlanta has to swallow the $15 million owed to him next season, keeping him around would raise obvious questions about the culture of the club.
The Braves need to rid themselves of the stench from this entire mess.
Beat reporter Mark Bowman seems to be on the same page.
“Profar certainly won’t be back in the clubhouse after performance-enhancing drug suspensions the last two years,” Bowman writes in his latest piece for MLB.com. “So finding a right-handed-hitting outfielder stands at the top of the must-do list.”
Bowman’s comment isn’t presented as a report from inside the organization. It’s his read on the situation, shaped by nearly three decades covering the Braves. Still, when someone with that kind of track record makes a statement that direct, it carries real weight.
For now, the expectation should be that Profar is not back with Atlanta next season. Anything else would come as a surprise.
In Other News...
Ronald Acua Jr. Trade Talk Just Took A Dramatic Turn
Ronald Acua Jr. has been the kind of name that naturally sparks speculation whenever the offseason starts to take shape, especially with his contract situation and the usual churn that comes with roster-building. But multiple MLB insiders, including Jon Morosi and Jon Heyman, have now painted a very different picture, saying a trade involving Acua this winter is considered highly unlikely as the Braves continue to operate like a contender rather than a club looking to reset.
For Atlanta, the bigger takeaway is not just that Acua appears to be staying put, but that the team reportedly has no interest in opening the door to trade talks at all. Even with the usual noise that follows a star player, the Braves seem prepared to treat this as a non-starter, which only adds to the intrigue around how the front office plans to handle the rest of the offseason around him. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Revenue News Just Added More Tension To MLB Lockout Fight
The Braves status as MLBs only publicly traded team means their earnings calls often do more than just explain the bottom line. They also offer a rare window into how one franchise is navigating the leagues broader financial picture, and this weeks update arrived with the labor fight looming in the background. Chairman Terry McGuirk kept the discussion pointedly general, steering away from the kind of detailed labor talk that would only invite more questions as the sport heads toward another round of uncertainty.
What stood out was how carefully the financial message was packaged. The clubs report showed the kind of accounting nuance that has become familiar around team business updates, with one version of the numbers emphasizing a loss and another highlighting profitability on an adjusted basis. For Braves fans, it is another reminder that the teams public financial disclosures are now part of the larger MLB lockout conversation, even when the people presenting them are trying not to wade too far into it. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Rotation Questions Could Force An Interesting Left-Handed Move
The Braves are already looking ahead to a 2027 rotation that could look a lot different than the one they hoped to build around. Chris Sale still projects as the anchor, with Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes in the mix, but the picture gets murkier from there because of the injury and availability questions surrounding Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep. For a team that has spent so much of the last few years trying to stack pitching depth, the next wave of decisions may be less about luxury and more about stability.
One name that keeps surfacing in that conversation is Trevor Rogers, a left-hander who could give Atlanta another layer of rotation insurance if the club decides it needs to add now for later. The fit is interesting because it is not just about covering innings, but also about finding someone who can grow into a larger role if the Braves eventually need a new face at the front of the staff. For now, it is another reminder that the rotation picture beyond next season is still very much in flux. [Read more 🡒]