Free agent infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar and the Padres have reached a one-year agreement, as reported by Robert Murray of FanSided. According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the deal, which is still subject to a physical, guarantees Profar $1 million. Additionally, Profar has the opportunity to earn an extra $1.5 million through incentives tied to plate appearances, as stated by Murray.

It serves as somewhat of an early birthday gift for Profar, who will turn 31 next week. His career trajectory has been characterized by significant fluctuations, a topic previously explored by MLBTR in 2022. Last season marked another downturn in this pattern, with 2023 standing out as his poorest performance to date.

At the conclusion of 2022, he chose to forgo his existing contract with the Padres, opting for a $1 million buyout instead of a $7.5 million salary. Despite lingering on the market until mid-March, he eventually secured a one-year, $7.75 million deal with the Rockies, narrowly surpassing the amount he relinquished.

However, Profar’s tenure in Colorado didn’t align with expectations. Although his strikeout rate (18.2%) and walk rate (9.5%) remained relatively consistent with his career norms, he only managed to hit eight home runs in 472 plate appearances.

Despite the hitter-friendly reputation of Coors Field, his underwhelming .236/.316/.364 batting line resulted in a wRC+ of just 72. Additionally, his defensive performance received poor ratings, leading to his release by the Rockies in August. He later returned to the Padres towards the end of the season, where he performed well in a limited sample size of 14 games. However, FanGraphs estimated his value at two wins below replacement level for the season, while Baseball Reference calculated it at -1.3 WAR.