The San Diego Padres finished third in the National League West last season and failed to make the playoffs a year after reaching the Championship Series.
Add to that the fact that the California representatives lost the services of Blake Snell, Josh Hader, Nick Martinez and Seth Lugo to the free agent market, in addition to having traded Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the New York Yankees this winter, and you have all the ingredients for a season that promises to be difficult.
However, that doesn't stop San Diego from adding depth to its lineup.
Indeed, after spending four seasons with the Padres, utility player Jurickson Profar is back in the organization with a one-year contract worth $1 million, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Profar played under the hot California sun from 2020 to 2022 before signing with the Colorado Rockies at the start of the 2023 campaign. He played 111 games in the Rockies and finished the year by returning to San Diego for 14 games.
A former very promising prospect, Profar also played with the Texas Rangers and the Oakland Athletics. He maintained a career batting average of .238, while hitting 87 home runs, producing 359 runs and stealing 47 bases.
The 30-year-old can play anywhere on the field, which gives the Padres great flexibility in both the infield and the outfield.
It is also probably as an outfielder that Profar will mainly play in San Diego, since the Fathers begin spring camp with only three outfield players on the 40-man roster.
