Despite reports that the Angels are lying in waiting to pick off free agents, they have been lying dormant instead. The Angels' biggest need is that of a left-handed power bat, as Niko Kavadas is currently their no. 1 player in that regard...and he is not guaranteed a roster spot on Opening Day. Well, the best and only remaining left-handed power bat is off the board, with the switch-hitting Jurickson Profar landing a deal with the Atlanta Braves worth three-years, $42 million.
FanSided's MLB insider, Robert Murray, reported on the teams that were in on Profar in free agency. He listed (in no particular order) the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Mets as suitors for the Curaçao-native. No Angels. Why? Who knows.
From The Baseball Insiders: How Jurickson Profar’s deal with the Atlanta Braves got done and what’s next for the Padres. pic.twitter.com/vmB6KPjK2X
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 24, 2025
According to Murray, Profar said he wanted to end up playing for the Braves or Padres in 2025 at the start of the offseason, but the Padres did not extend Profar a competitive offer. The Braves were involved all offseason, but were not close to a deal until things heated up post-Anthony Santander (more on him later). There was plenty of time for the Angels to cement themselves in this race.
The Braves ended up getting Profar at exactly where projections had him, but far less than what he is potentially worth (the Braves via Alex Anthopoulos are quite well-known for underpaying their star players). The left fielder ranked 7th in OBP last season, only trailing guys you might've heard of named Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Yordan Alvarez, Shohei Ohtani, and Bobby Witt Jr. FanGraphs tabbed his 2024 production's monetary value at $34.4 million, and, again, he signed for a total of $42 million over three years.
It was widely reported that the Angels were in on Santander, but they were not in on Profar whatsoever. The two switch-hitting outfielders (and very part-time first basemen) are similar in many ways, but Profar is emerging from a much better 2024 season. Profar had a higher bWAR, fWAR, more hits, more stolen bases a higher OBP, OPS, and OPS+. He also signed for a much cheaper deal. If the Angels did end up extending an offer to Santander, why would they not even enter the bidding for Profar? Any offer they might have made to Santander would have likely been greater than the three-for-$42 Profar ended up signing for. Sure, they would have needed to significantly out-bid Atlanta due to Profar's affinity for the Braves, but he is well-worth a deal like four-years, $80 million to a desperate team like the Angels.
The Braves and Angels value players similarly. Why? Well, because Perry Minasian comes from the Braves' front office and worked as Anthopoulos' assistant general manger. The Braves tabbed Profar as the second best bat on the market and believe the best is yet to come. Almost as important -- Profar has established himself as one of the best clubhouse guys in baseball (per Murray) and make-up is everything to Minasian, the former clubhouse assistant. It's just baffling how the Angels were never even in the mix for a guy like Profar. What are we doing?