Unsurprisingly, Atlanta Braves fans have been looking for more and more people/entities to blame in the wake of Jurickson Profar's PED suspension. Everyone is basically in agreement that Profar should be shunned to some degree, but the Braves are catching heat for not screening him out before signing him for some reason, and even the Padres have become the recipients of conspiracy theories about how much they knew. However, the aftermath of Profar's suspension is leading to a different, more difficult conversation.
In the game of baseball, most contracts to veterans are guaranteed. Arbitration-eligible players aren't on guaranteed deals until there is an actual agreement in place, and that can be a factor at the non-tender deadline each year, but the only guys who can be particularly expendable with little cost are guys signed to minor league deals.
Unfortunately, guaranteed contracts include those that get suspended for PEDs, which doesn't sit right with a lot of people. Yes, players are not paid while they are suspended, but Profar's suspension is leading to conversations about how MLB contracts should work and be addressed in the next CBA when it comes to PED offenders.
Jurickson Profar may have just given MLB the ammo it needs to go after guaranteed contracts (to a point)
At the moment, the only realistic way a contract can be voided is if that contract has specific provisions that can be triggered. The obvious problem with that is that the player has to agree to those terms ahead of time, and, unless it is a fringe case, no player in their right mind would give the team an out in a contract like that.
As a result, there are real questions if MLB could push for new rules that would allow teams to void contracts under specific conditions. MLBPA will never, under any circumstance, let all contracts just be non-guaranteed without a hell of a fight. However, there is reason to think they might be willing to put PED users on the block as a sacrifice. Such players may make the union look bad anyway and are pretty easy to cast aside for all parties involved. Among the issues that need ironing out during what is going to be a very contentious CBA negotiation, it does feel like there is a common ground here.
Well, that is the theory anyway. MLBPA is going to want more assurances about the validity of testing, and they probably aren't going to be cool with voiding contracts after a first offense. However, that this conversation is even happening at all is pretty wild, and we can all probably thank Profar and his now odious contract for that.