The Braves are staring at another offseason with a familiar list of needs, and the outfield sits near the top. Left field has been a trouble spot for two straight seasons, and Jurickson Profar’s situation has only made the issue more urgent.
Profar, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, is facing a 162-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time in the last year. Passan wrote: “Atlanta Braves designated hitter Jurickson Profar is facing a 162-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time in the last year, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
Profar, 33, is the sixth player to receive a 162-game ban for PED use since Major League Baseball increased the penalty for two-time offenders to a full season in 2014. He will forfeit the entirety of his $15 million salary," ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote.
Atlanta also took a shot at patching the position after the trade deadline, bringing in Lane Thomas, but the early results weren’t encouraging. ESPN noted that Thomas, 30, was hitting .232/.326/.393 in 97 games with the Royals before the move and that he was expected to shift from center field into left field in Atlanta, likely in a platoon with Mike Yastrzemski. The same report added that Thomas is a career .288 hitter against left-handed pitching.
Even with that move, the Braves still need another bat, and SI’s Harrison Smajovitts pointed to Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato as a fit. Smajovitts noted that Sato has logged 262 games in the outfield in NPB, even though third base is his primary spot. He also wrote that Sato would join Drake Baldwin and Michael Harris II among Atlanta’s top left-handed bats, while Mike Yastrzemski would be the best left-handed bat on the roster who isn’t a switch hitter.
“He can also play in the outfield, with 262 games played at the position in the NPB. It's his primary position, that's third base (more on that momentarily), but it's not a position that he's only tried out a handful of times.
Upon arrival, Sato will be one of their top left-handed bats alongside Drake Baldwin and Michael Harris II. Beyond them, the Braves' best left-handed bat who isn't a switch hitter is Mike Yastrzemski.
Sato is an everyday player, not just someone whose job is to bash righties. However, having that extra left-handed bat could do wonders,” Smajovitts wrote.
Sato could give Atlanta a flexible answer in left field, and he also could be used in right field when Ronald Acuña Jr. gets a day off. The appeal goes beyond the glove and the fit in the lineup, too. Sato is a Triple Crown winner, and he blasted 39 home runs last season, showing the kind of power the Braves are clearly missing.
In Other News...
Braves Offseason Plans Hinge On One Unsettled Pitching Question
The Braves are heading into the 2027 planning cycle with the same kind of uncertainty that can quietly shape an entire offseason: who will actually be available on the mound when the season begins. Joe Jimenez and Martin Perez are both free agents coming off significant injuries, while a group that includes Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Joey Wentz and Bryce Elder carries its own mix of health questions as Atlanta tries to sort out what kind of rotation and bullpen depth it can realistically count on.
Hurston Waldrep adds another layer to the puzzle after undergoing Tommy John surgery in mid-September, making his timeline a long one for a club that needs clarity sooner rather than later. Even with so many names in flux, there is still one particularly important pitching situation hanging over the Braves as they map out their next steps, and the answer there could have a ripple effect on how aggressively they need to shop for arms this winter. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Bullpen Miss Looked Bad Early And Unraveled Even Faster
When the Braves brought in Joel Payamps this winter, it looked like the kind of low-risk bullpen bet teams make every offseason, hoping a veteran arm can steady the middle innings. Payamps arrived after electing free agency, carrying the resume of a journeyman who had bounced around the league but also flashed a real breakthrough in 2023 before his production slipped in the seasons that followed.
The fit never really took hold in Atlanta. Payamps got into 12 games for the Braves in 2026 and struggled badly enough that the club moved on quickly, designating him for assignment on May 1. For a bullpen that needed help, it was a miss that unraveled almost as soon as it began. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox May Be Letting A Key Rotation Piece Walk
Sonny Grays stint with the Red Sox appears headed toward a short shelf life, with Boston unlikely to pick up the mutual option on his contract. For Atlanta, that immediately makes him one of the more interesting names to watch on the pitching market, especially with the Braves looking for rotation help and any fit that trims down the travel from his Tennessee home carrying obvious appeal.
Boston does have other pitchers it expects to be part of its 2027 rotation, so Gray is not the only arm shaping the clubs long view. Even so, his path beyond this season remains unsettled, and the Braves could be positioned to benefit if the veteran right-hander reaches free agency and starts weighing where he wants the next chapter of his career to land. [Read more 🡒]