Outfielder Jurickson Profar has agreed to a one-year deal with the Colorado Rockies worth at least $7.75 million, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Profar's pact will include incentives tied to his playing time.
Profar, 30 years old, spent the past three seasons with a different National League West team. In more than 1,200 plate appearances with the San Diego Padres, he batted .244/.333/.375 (103 OPS+) and accumulated 4.4 wins above replacement (3.1 of which were earned last season).
Profar had been the last unsigned member of CBS Sports' free-agent top 50. Here's what we wrote about him entering the offseason:
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.
Profar joins a Rockies team that has been throttled by injuries this spring. One outfielder, Randal Grichuk, has been ruled out for Opening Day following sports hernia surgery. Another, Sean Bouchard, is expected to miss most of, if not the entire season following biceps surgery. The Rockies will also begin the year without second baseman Brendan Rodgers following a shoulder injury.
Profar is the second notable veteran to join the Rockies this month. They recently signed infielder Mike Moustakas to a minor-league pact.
