"Him and Preller have such toxic relationship" - Padres fans befuddled by team's decision to bring back outfielder Jurickson Profar

On February 12, the San Diego Padres announced that they agreed to a deal with Jurickson Profar for one-year, worth $1 million. No stranger to the team, Friars fans do not seem overly enthusiastic.

The Curacao-born infielder was previously a member of the Padres from 2020 until his 2023 trade to the Colorado Rockies. At 30 years of age, Profar's offensive decline would lead some to believe that he is, in fact, substantially older.

"Jurickson Profar goes back to Padres" - Jon Heyman

Over 361 career games as a member of the San Diego Padres, Profar hit .244/.333/.375 with 27 home runs and 123 RBIs. Suffice to say, these are not numbers that make Padres fans want to trot out the welcome-back carpet.

Despite presenting a decent amount of speed, Profar's effectiveness in the batter's box has not been up to scratch for some time. A career .238 hitter, the 6-foot Profar has only hit over .270 once in a full season in his career.

For Padres fans, wariness about wasting money on sub-par talent is palpable. Despite spending more money than any other team despite the New York Yankees and Mets last year, the team finished with a mediocre 82-80 record, placing third in the NL West.

General manager AJ Preller has found himself in the crosshairs, being blamed for his team's shortcomings. Already, the team has lost stars like Juan Soto, Josh Hader, and Blake Snell. For Padres fans, the notion that Jurickson Profar could help and make up some of the starpower lost by their departures seems far-fetched at best.

Jurickson Profar will have another chance, albiet with a trimmed-down Padres lineup

The 2022 campaign was one of the best of Profar's career to date. That year, he hit .243/.331/.391 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs. Though he was dealt to the Colorado Rockies less than a year later, Padres fans finally began to see some potential.

On a 2023 Padres team that has seen significant skill offloads this offseason, Profar will have the chance at more playing time. That said, stars like Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Ha-Seong Kim make the infield hard to break into. If Profar wants to silence the voices of dissent within the fanbae, then he will need to start with his bat. Should the Curacaoan fail to make any considerable improvements, it is likely he will be back to free agency at the end of 2024.