Outfielder Jurickson Profar has found a team, at least for the duration of the World Baseball Classic. Profar, the last free agent available on CBS Sports' top 50, will suit up for the Netherlands when the tournament begins next week, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
Profar, 30, spent the last three seasons with the San Diego Padres. Although he's never lived up to his past billing as arguably the top prospect in the sport, he has established himself as a legitimate big-league player. Indeed, he batted .244/.333/.375 (103 OPS+) with 26 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 345 games with the Padres. His total contributions were worth an estimated 4.4 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference.
Profar had played well enough with the Padres to earn the 28th spot on our free-agent rankings. 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.
Unfortunately for Profar, whatever copycat behavior went on didn't involve him. Instead, it's been difficult to locate new rumors concerning his status. Back in January, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal linked Profar to the Baltimore Orioles while noting that the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers could also make sense as a landing spot. The Orioles and Yankees have proceeded with their internal options in the month-plus since. The Rangers, meanwhile, have since signed fellow free agent Robbie Grossman to a one-year pact.
Profar, then, might not find a team until an incumbent outfield option suffers an injury. In the interim, he should be thankful that it's a WBC year -- otherwise, he wouldn't have a way to gain game repetitions while he waits for a suitable offer.
