The Colorado Rockies have "real interest" in signing free-agent outfielder Jurickson Profar, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. The Rockies have suffered a pair of losses to their outfield this spring, with Randal Grichuk (sports hernia surgery) and Sean Bouchard (ruptured biceps) both expected to start the season on the 10-day injured list.
Profar, 30, is currently playing for the Netherlands' World Baseball Classic team. He spent the past three seasons with the San Diego Padres, posting a .244/.333/.375 (103 OPS+) slash line in nearly 1,300 plate appearances out west. Profar, who ranked 28th on the list, is the only member of CBS Sports' free-agent top-50 who remains unsigned. Here's what we wrote at the time:
This isn't the career evaluators expected from Profar back when they projected him to become an All-Star shortstop, but it's a respectable way to make a living all the same. His bat still doesn't fit the corner-outfield archetype: he's more about walks and singles than home runs, and his ball-tracking data more closely resembles Jake Cronenworth's than it does Kyle Schwarber's. There's value in what Profar does, however, and fate may have led him to the open market at the perfect time. It's at least possible that the Cleveland Guardians' success with a lineup of similar hitters could inspire the copycats around the league to overindex on contact and walks, to the extent that Profar benefits with a little extra coin than he would've netted otherwise.
As it stands, the Rockies would enter the season with an outfield that includes Kris Bryant, Charlie Blackmon, and Yonathan Daza. Colorado also has infielders Nolan Jones and Harold Castro who could slot in on the grass, as well as minor-league prospect Brenton Doyle on the 40-player roster. (Doyle has played in nine career Triple-A games, suggesting he's not a real candidate to break camp with the big-league team.)
The New York Yankees (who are expected to open the season without Harrison Bader) and Baltimore Orioles have been the two teams most connected to Profar in recent months. It's unclear if those teams, or any others, remain interested in services.
