The prevailing wisdom this offseason is that the Atlanta Braves would like to add a mid-tier rotation arm this offseason. Nathan Eovaldi has been the most popular name floated as an option for the Braves and given their history of going after arms on relatively short-term deals, Eovaldi does make a lot of sense especially given the quality of his stuff.
However, a weird thing has happened this offseason as the price for pitching has shot through the roof. Given what guys like Frankie Montas and Luis Severino have already gotten in free agency, players like Eovaldi seem poised to cash in and that presents a problem for Atlanta who prefers to spread their money around.
Alex Anthopoulos has made it clear that the luxury tax isn't going to deter the Braves from making the moves they want to make, but Atlanta's cash is still finite and there is a world where the prices for starters becomes too much for them. In fact, Braves insider Mark Bowman just suggested that the Braves could avoid an Eovaldi-level arm in favor of bringing back Charlie Morton and instead pursue an outfielder like Jurickson Profar.
How did Jurickson Profar catch this?! 🤯 #NLDS pic.twitter.com/m11coR0K4x
— MLB (@MLB) October 7, 2024
Braves insider suggests a reunion with Charlie Morton so that the team could pursue Jurickson Profar, other outfielders
While bringing back Morton has some real problems associated with it, there is a method to the madness here. Bowman argues that Morton would probably only required a $10-15 guarantee on a one-year deal to come back to the Braves. Given that Eovaldi, Sean Manaea, and other comparable free agent starters seem like they are mortal locks to get north of $20 million a year, running it back with Morton becomes a lot more palatable as he is still a decent back-of-the-rotation arm.
Where things get interesting is when he starts talking about what the Braves could do instead of hunting a free agent starter. While he doesn't source an specific interest, Bowman does mention former Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar as a potential option along with Max Kepler. While he did downplay Kepler a bit due to his injury issues, Profar getting such a lengthy mention was pretty noteworthy.
Despite some career-long OBP issues, Profar would be a fantastic fit with the Braves' vibe especially if he can carry the production over from his 2024 breakout season. In addition to posting an .839 OPS last season with the Padres and helping them make a postseason run, Profar also is a corner outfielder which the Braves could certainly use especially while Ronald Acuna Jr. is out to start the 2025 season.
While Atlanta would probably prefer a lefty hitting outfielder (which is a point in Kepler's favor), the idea of adding a bat like Profar's to the Braves' already dangerous lineup is a potentially exciting wrinkle this offseason. Price is going to matter as given Profar a real premium after what was an outlier season for him would be risky and the outfield market isn't cheap either after the Soto deal, but perhaps going with the slightly cheaper pitching option in Morton would enable Atlanta to cover all their bases instead of going big on one roster need and budget options for the other.