Major League Baseball has announced that Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Reporter Mike Rodriguez first relayed that Profar was to get a suspension due to a positive test. Jeff Passan of ESPN confirmed that it would be a PED suspension. Profar will be able to return during the season but won’t be eligible for the playoffs this year, as is true for all players in the year they serve a PED suspension.
MLB announced the suspension with the following statement: “The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG), a performance enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Profar is effective immediately.”
The team also released a statement: “We were surprised and extremely disappointed to learn that Jurickson Profar tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Prevention and Treatment Program. We fully support the Program and are hopeful that Jurickson will learn from this experience.”
Profar himself also released a statement through the MLBPA: “Braves fans, Today is the most difficult day of my baseball career. I am devastated to announce that I have been suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball and the Commissioner’s office, for testing positive for a banned substance this offseason. This is especially painful for me because anyone who knows me and has seen me play knows I am deeply passionate about the game. There is nothing I love more than competing with my teammates and being a fan favorite. I want to apologize to the entire Braves organization, my teammates, and the fans. It is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it. I have been tested my entire career, including eight times last season alone, and have never tested positive. I would never willingly take a banned substance, but I take full responsibility and accept MLB’s decision. I am devastated that I won’t be on the field with my teammates for the next 80 games. I look forward to competing again at the highest level this season upon my return.”
The news will immediately cast a new light on Profar’s breakout campaign in 2024. A former top prospect, his big league career had been fairly inconsistent. His plate discipline had always been good, with above average strikeout and walk rates throughout most of his career, but generally with a lack of impact. At the end of the 2023 season, he had appeared in 961 big league games and was sitting on a .238/.322/.383 battling line. That production translated to a 92 wRC+, indicating he had been 8% worse than league average overall.
His stock had fallen far enough that he settled for a $1MM deal with the Padres going into 2024, barely above last year’s $740K league minimum salary. He went on to have the best season of his career at the age of 31. He hit 24 home runs for the Friars while drawing walks at an 11.4% clip and striking out just 15.1% of the time. His .280/.380 /.459 batting line translated to a 139 wRC+, easily the best of his career. Relative to 2023, his average exit velocity jumped from 86.5 miles per hour to 91.1. His hard hit rate went from 31.8% to 44.4%. In general, just about everything on his Statcast page got redder.
That made him a much hotter commodity this past offseason. He got interest from clubs like the Mets, Royals, Blue Jays and Astros before signing a three-year, $42MM deal with Atlanta in January. This news will naturally lead the baseball world to re-evaluate that breakout season.
Presumably, Atlanta had no idea about Profar’s test when they signed him or they wouldn’t have done the deal. Still, it will be a massive headache for them and looks like a big waste of resources. The club took a very measured approach this winter, seemingly working under specific financial restraints. They flipped Jorge Soler and the remainder of his contract to the Angels as soon as the offseason began. They later turned down a reasonable club option on Travis d’Arnaud. They renegotiated the contracts of Reynaldo López and Aaron Bummer, in both cases kicking a bit of money from 2025 to 2026.
In hindsight, it seems the club was trying to get the payroll down to a specific level and get themselves under the competitive balance tax. Per RosterResource, their CBT number is currently around $234MM. That’s about $7MM shy of this year’s $241MM base threshold, leaving them a bit of wiggle room to make in-season moves and reset their tax status this year. Assuming they indeed follow through on that, they could go into 2026 as “first-time” payors, after paying the tax in 2023 and 2024.
Around the frugal moves, Profar was their one big splash. They didn’t give out another deal worth more than $1.5MM. The outfield was an obvious target area. Last year’s acquisition of Jarred Kelenic didn’t work out, as he hit .231/.286/.393 in his first season in Atlanta. Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his left ACL in May and missed the remainder of the season. They made midseason acquisitions of Soler and Ramón Laureano but both were dispatched this winter for financial reasons. Soler was flipped to the Angels for Griffin Canning, with Canning later non-tendered. Laureano, who was projected for a $6.1MM salary, was himself non-tendered.
Considering all of that, it’s obviously a less than ideal development. The club tried to walk a fine line all winter, pinching pennies while hopefully keeping themselves in position to compete in 2025. Amid several subtractions, Profar was their most aggressive addition. Now he’s going to be out of action for a long while and it’s anyone’s guess what form he will be in when he comes back. He won’t be eligible for postseason play this year regardless.
He won’t be paid while serving his suspension, saving the club a bit of money, but they have few options for redirecting those funds now that the season has started. The team will now have to improvise a way to proceed. Harris is still a strong option in center but the corner options aren’t incredibly inspiring. Kelenic figures to get plenty of playing time, though as mentioned, he struggled last year and has a .154/.154/.385 line so far this year. Bryan De La Cruz and Eli White are also on the active roster. Stuart Fairchild was claimed off waivers today and will join the club shortly. Carlos Rodriguez is on the 40-man but on optional assignment.
In time, that picture should improve. Alex Verdugo was signed just over a week ago. He agreed to be optioned for now so that he could ramp up after missing spring training and should join the club in the coming weeks. Acuña could potentially be reinstated off the injured list in May. Profar will eventually return from this suspension but won’t be postseason eligible. Players on other clubs could become available as the trade deadline nears.
Nonetheless, it’s a gut check for a club that is already reeling a bit. They lost their first four games, getting swept by Profar’s old club in San Diego. There’s still a long season ahead, but they were set for a tough battle in a packed NL East. As mentioned, they tried to walk a tightrope this winter by cutting spending but still competing. Profar was the jewel of that offseason but the shine has come off real fast.
Photo courtesy of Mike Lang, Imagn Images.
Holy cow.
This might explain his offensive breakout last season in San Diego. He was going into free agency again after signing a cheap, 1 year deal with SD. He put up great numbers and suckered Atlanta into a $42M investment for him. Maybe he was juicing in 2024 as well while putting up career best numbers? While I hate to see players cheat, it can certainly pay off if they are not caught. He’ll lose about $7M in salary but still has another $35M coming his way. It will be interesting to see how he does after returning from his suspension without the aid of PEDs.
There should be some sort of clause for a team to null all remaining years after getting baited into crap like this. Sucks for the Braves. I don’t think this will work out the same way Ozuna did.
I doubt the union would allow contracts to be invalidated for substance abuse, but I agree that should be an option.
Well. I suppose Rubio will revoke his visa now.
“I doubt the union”..Nullifying or invalidating contracts is not allowed under the currentCBA, so of course the MLBPA union would oppose it.
I think practically anyone would agree it should be in the next MLB CBA, but that would cost a likely concession to the player’s union somewhere else.
Baited? Teams should be able to test anyone they are about to hand millions to.
There is probably something in his contract that would either void it or reduce the amount paid. They should just release him now and let the attorneys work it out. You don’t want someone who does these things on your team. Let him go and move on.
That would give teams incentive to frame washed up expensive players.
The Angels would be tempted to spike Rendon’s water and then have him tested. Then they’re off the hook.
Brewer: We can all dream though can’t we?
@ Brewers39. I like it. The only problem is getting Rendon to actually show up to a team facility.
They can’t. His contract is guaranteed. He will not be paid for 80 games but the rest will go into his bank account.
The Braves can most certainly waive him, pay him the $35 million left on his contract after the suspension is over, and Profar will go play for another team for the major league minimum for the rest of 2025, 2026, and 2027.
The Braves will have to pay him for all that time except the 80-game suspension. There is no getting around that.
Interesting court case potential.
MLB teams agreed to the terms in the CBA. No court case possible.
Dorothy: It’s interesting that, in his statement, Profar didn’t offer a reason for his PED use like how it happened like the old “I didn’t know they put that in Gatorade”, or whatever, excuse. Just that he was sorry and would never do something like this. Apparently he did.
Dorthy? Profar said he was tested eight times in 24. Something is odd.
He claims to not have known he was cheating, as almost every cheater has stated. Bummer for all involved. Including us.
“Might”????
SD have another player recently get busted for the juice? Is there a culture promoting that kind of cheating?
Check the numbers. Friars not above league average.
@Dorothy_Mantooth You mean the ‘breakout’ where Profar’s SLG in 2024 was a single point above what it was in 2018?
Guess my Yanks dodged the bullet by not signing him. Yeesh.
Tigers, too. I was interested in Profar as an off-the-radar signing. Glad it didn’t happen now. I wonder if NYY & DET knew something.
Any team with scouts would have known he was a mediocre OF who was unlikely to repeat an outlier season.
I think if the Tigers had some information they would have slipped it to the Braves as they have had a good relationship.
Reds as well. Almost like these teams knew to stay away as long as he stayed available
“Less than ideal development”
Yeah let’s call it that lol Dude screwed Atlanta hard with this one.
In what works does he still get a paycheck. 4 games in?
He won’t get paid during the suspension (it’s in the article), so he’s out a half-season’s salary). Still sucks for the Braves.
It’s a 3 year deal, so he’ll get the bulk of his money, but chances are he’s not going to be going all Hulk on the league for the last 2.5 seasons and $35m.
Did the Padres know he had failed and let him go so they wouldnt take the hit?
“I would never willingly take a banned substance, but I take full responsibility and accept MLB’s decision.”
Lying is just accepted in society now
Whereas claiming someone’s lying without actual evidence is the height of integrity?
Will Smith says who?
Mr. Irrelevant was the take at the time…
Draft kings has an odds on Braves now. +500 they go 0-162
Could the season be over before it actually begins?! Sheesh
we’re talkin’ Profar, c’mon its Profar, were not talking about Acuna jr, its P-r-o-f-a-r
Better to have both than neither no?
You think ATL would like news of another Acuna Jr. injury while recovering from current?
This just in…The season has actually begun
It will be fine. I’d have rather had Verdugo than Profar to begin with, and Acuna Jr. will be back shortly. The outfield will be solid.
Biggest thing is, moving forward, Atlanta might have just wasted 14m a season on Profar. Don’t love that as someone that wasn’t enamored with the signing to begin with, but it is what it is at this point.
Technically they saved 7M this season now so it’s a 3/35 deal essentially.
Makes me feel better, thank you Lou.
2+1/2/35
Actually it’s $6 million.
One of those years looks like lost one.
Except they lost an all star, which, you know, is sorta a bigger deal.
They’ve wasted only 7m, at most, in 2025. He doesn’t get paid while on a PEDs suspension.
Well that explains his performance last year…god damnit Jurickson
He needed a little… juice… to get that power
Padres being cheap actually saved them here
Were they cheap? Or did they actually know?
@empirejim, am I crazy for thinking they should test Tatis again?
Any player that tests positive has increased testing. They are normally tested 8-10 times per season. Tatis would have been tested more often.
Not at all, even if he’s not still taking steroids, Tatis has grown so much due to the juices. It’s honestly not fair to the other player because he is a better player now and has more power.
Tatis has had LESS power because of the shoulder injury than he did before the suspension. There have been several articles noting that Tatis came into camp weighing 10-15 lbs less than he did last season. He attributed it to the fact he could run more because his leg is not broken. It is really not that hard to look those facts up. Are all Dodger fans not named BlueSkies as stupid as you apparently are?
true or not, will be a vast majority of the assumptions now and hard to fault them
He said he was tested eight times last season. Are you suggesting he’s lying or that the tests were fixed? Also, if he happens to comes back strong in the second half, is he forgiven?
It’s always a game of cat-and-mouse with PEDs. New compounds or methods will be able to avoid detection for awhile but sooner or later the testing either catches up or the user does something stupid and gets caught.
Or he’s just not telling the truth about how much testing there was to look good. He’s a cheater, so there’s clearly a chance he’s also a liar. It turns out he had good cause to cheat and it worked to the tune of $35m. Sucks for the Braves.
Onterrio Smith trained him. He must have used the wrong piss this time……
You can juice and get it out of your system if you have enough time between tests or have an idea of when you might get tested.
You don’t even need to get it out of your system, the procedures to mask it or just plain fake your sample are more advanced than the tests
I knew a dude with a fake “package” that warmed the pee. Would think MLB would be a full on physical though.
Just a urine test. There are rules about checking the bathroom, maybe about the door being open, but they don’t get to watch you pee AFAIK
Olympic athletes get by all the time and that testing regimen is more serious than MLB
Wouldn’t help in MLB since they have both urine and blood tests. For the urine tests they give you the fluids you are allowed to drink and then you urinate in the presence of the collection agent who then labels and seals it into the container to be taken to the lab. if they have even an inkling of doubt in that test, they can and do ask for another sample and/or a blood test.
And how do you know when it is random?
Blood tests in MLB are only for HGH. That’s not what Profar was on,
“Any inkling,” no. MLB has to file a reasonable cause notification. The player can dispute it within 48 hours and the dispute has to be decided within another 48 hours.
1-2% of Olympic athletes fail more sophisticated drug testing than MLB. Anyone who believes less than 20% of Olympic athletes use is naïve. Cheating has always and will always be a step ahead of testing.
Profar used. He didn’t get caught while taking anabolics. He got caught for a drug you take to deal with the effects.
Of course, Profar used. It is an injectable drug, not one that supplements or other ingestible substances that can be tainted with steroids. He wasn’t smart about it either. It is only detectable in a urine test for 10 days and MLB uses exactly the same WADA tests as the Olympic athletes face.
MLB gives a blood test if you fail a urine test. Its part of verifying the failed urine test. If the player refuses, they are suspended for up to 15 days.
hCG increases testosterone. You don’t take it to cover up steroid use, you use it to help your body increase the amount of testosterone it produces. It also stays detectable in the urine for such a short period of time, that I am quite sure that it’s use is common among elite athletes in many sports.
@geanplayzyt And what explains his .458 SLG in 2018?
@Jack Strawb Was hCG available during his first walk year? Are we to just assume this is the first time he’s used?
lmao
on the brighter side, at least it was not a severe injury to Acuna jr.
The big winner here is Kelenic. If Profar hadn’t gotten busted and started the year just above average, JK would have been DFAd by May or June.
I can give you 42 million reasons why he cheated
It’s 35 million reasons now.
Makes my $300 shake and bake at tax time look sort of lame.
Can u blame him ?
That contract looked questionable even before this. Bummer for Braves.
bahahahahahahaha!
Darkside
This is pretty close to copyright infringement, I’m not gonna have to fire off a cease & desist, am I? Ahahahahahaha!
Suspended 80 games for getting butt hurt amirite? 0 and 4, the race to the bottom commences
He not only signed the big paycheck, but now he gets the summer off! What a deal!
Still too much talent on that team. If they get the pitching, they will be very competitive.
Everything’s coming up Braves early on
Bummer. Hope he hits somewhat when he returns for his sake.
Bummer is in the bullpen; feels like a big ask to also want him to hit.
Sorry, had to.
No need to apologize for cheekiness and levity.
But Who’s on First?
Im sure he’ll be hitting the bars and golf courses for a while….
Down in a hole and I don’t know if I can be saved.
Always loved
I’ve eaten the sun so my tongue has been burned of the taste
Masterfully sung, of course
@gwynning. Well thank goodness the owners were broke or maybe they had some inside information.
No speaka English, Huds!
😉
🎵You gotta keep the devil, way down in the hole.🎶
Just started re-watching the series for the 4th time.
Do you think Profar went to sit in his Angry Chair when he got the news?
I’m sure he feels like Dirt, choof.
That’s just baseball in a Nutshell I suppose
Nice one choof lol
If I can’t be my own, I need better ped’s
I’d like to flyyyyy…but my ped pee was so deni-eye-eye-d
Lol Pete
Did you know that was a love song by Cantrell to Courtney Clarke?
Yup!
One of the worst contract signed in the offseason and everyone knew it at the time. Though nobody thought it was for cheating. Imagine paying him over 40 million when you saw how awful he was for the Rockies in 2023
And the reality everyone needs to face is that he only ever produced in SD. COL was a train wreck, and this is actually worse. Braves are stuck with him unless they eat a lot of the contract and trade him back to SD for a lottery ticket.
I just lost all of my respect for profar 🙁
Just like with Robinson cano and Fernando
His blatantly late swing to get a catcher’s interference call a few years back was weak. Then, in the playoffs-trying to hide the fact he caught the ball was more bs.
This is a third example where it seems he’s trying to outwit the competition with shady methods.
Hope he learns from this and matures.
Probably won’t learn as he got his bag and likey as a result to cheating.
But that bag just got half as light for this year. That might be 7 million reasons.
something tells me he has 42 million reasons not to.
In hindsight, his performance last year should have raised some concerns
@ronk. He was eating the tainted meat from Mexico that tatis had.
Do they have the same butcher? Do butchers go from Curacao to the Dominican? Those poor victims of circumstance.
Obvious cheater was obvious
Like Judge and Trout
You are one of the biggest idiots to ever comment. It must be embarrassing for anyone unfortunate enough to know you.
They should be able to void the remainder of his contract since it was “earned” under false pretenses.
he was NOT caught last year
Teams should be allowed to void contracts when things like this happen.
Not only miss 1/2 the season but also won’t be allowed to play in post season SHOULD Atl get their
@benjamin. Pretty sure it’s suspension without pay.
Pretty sure they signed his sorry but for 3 years and $42 million. Benji was talking about voiding the whole thing since El Profo is a dirt bag.
Cor blimey, guvnor!
Explains the Fairchild claim earlier today?
*trade
Yes, but Fairchild’s numbers are not those of any savior. The Verdugo signing might actually pay off quite well.
Must have got them from Tatis.
Show your proof, Mutts.
He’s literally been suspended for PEDs. What more proof do you want? Video footage of him using?
I forgot how much you protect your steroid users in San Diego.
There was Tatis while on the IL and in the Dominican with a legal (there, not here) prescription… and whom else exactly?
Your silence speaks volumes, metsin4.
give him time, he’s searching behind Java’s ears
He’ll only find “W’s” back there!
Go Pads!
If you make millions of dollars maybe don’t take things that will get you busted. If your brain is too smooth to know for yourself then pay someone that has a wrinklier brain to help you. I guess if your brain is that smooth you are too dumb to know to do that. At this point the team needs to hire a nanny and then you have the bonus of getting someone to wipe your bum bum too.
“There was Tatis while on the IL and in the Dominican with a legal (there, not here) prescription… and whom else exactly?”
As long as he’s under a major league contract, it’s still breaking the rules. Doesn’t matter where he spent his winter.
If I remember correctly it was during the lockout when players couldn’t check with team doctors to find out if a prescription drug in their country would violate the MLB rules. Very few players have an excuse. Tatis has a good one. .
It’s not called “The Dominican” it’s “The Dominican Republic”
Uh oh. And there goes all of 2024 and his reputation.
Seems kinda unfair for the Braves to be locked into that contract.
Why? They signed it.
If I signed a contract with you to perform surgery on me under the implication that you were a surgeon, only to discover that you were in fact not a surgeon, I believe that I would have a legitimate gripe with said contract.
The Braves would not have signed Profar knowing he was taking PEDs.
i would have done a background check and not assume. you are a surgeon.
No you wouldn’t. Flyboy.
Are really stupid enough that you would not check into a person that would be cutting into your body? At the very least looking at reviews on healthgrades.com/ ?
I would get a second opinion, and ask around about the surgeon, and check everywhere I could online,.
I am guessing you just trust that doctors are great.
itsmeheyhii
Actually that’s an interesting one. I once read of a neurosurgeon in the land down under who was doing coke and operating on people’s brains. You can look him up if you’re interested-Dr Suresh Nair.
Now on Far from Pro, I believe all players should have to submit to a PED test prior to signing a contract and should also have to sign a declaration that if subsequent to them testing clean to a PED test a positive test is found, the club can hand out their own discipline, or null and void the contract. Plenty of ordinary people lose their jobs for alcohol or drug related issues, why should it be different for ‘pro’ baseball players. Of course, there are cases where positive tests have been shown to be incorrect, but Profar has said nothing about being innocent, or that he ingested something that was tainted.
@flyby @outinleft
Hence me saying “under the implication” that they were a surgeon. If their credentials check out today and are discovered to be invalid later, I would have then been defrauded. Maybe you missed that part, so hopefully that clears it up.
@Fred
That does sound interesting and wild. Will have to check it out, thanks.
@itsmeheyhii
ummm implications means to imply which means he suggests to you he is. If you take his suggestion without researching thats on you. Also any surgeon you verify through the hospital unless your doing back alley surgeries which is again on you. I take a step further and look up degree and background yes can be faked but if they are through a respectable hospital they will do their vetting beforehand for insurance reasons.
As far as i know you dont retroactively lose your license but you are open to malpractice lawsuits for incompetency or other reasons but again wouldnt be invalidated or defrauded retroactively.
@WadeBoggsWildRide
And yes i do .. i had cancer removal surgery a few years back and i used the top hospital in the state (top 50 in the country) for those type of surgeries and the dr had over 20 years of experience and was the head surgeon at the hospital. Also look into diapragm paralysis only one dr in the country deals with potentially fixing and doesnt even say what the procedure is. to fix so im not taking that chance.
@Fly
Thats not exactly what imply means and the phrase “under the implication” seems like it was pretty clear for the point I was making.
Arguing semantics rather than what you know I meant and its merits seems pointless. Would rather hear your opinion on the actual topic.
I hear the surgery center in Oklahoma is pretty darn good. Only one I know of in the country with completely transparent pricing and outcome/success rate data. If I needed something and had a choice that’s where I would go. Libertarian’s dream hospital.
“Why? They signed it”…Because the contract was obviously signed under materially false, misleading and borderline fraudulent circumstances.
The only reason Profar doesn’t lose the contract in a fraud suit is because that’s not allowed under the current MLB CBA, therefore state laws on fraudulent transactions don’t apply.
There’s a very good reason that virtually all other regular businesses(besides sports)in the United States have the protection of U.S fraud laws.
@mlbfan
Well put.
football or basketball cant remember which one does allow you voiding remaining guarantee if i remember right.
They should test before signing, but the union may be against that.
They can ask, Hayes- and the player can say no.
Gwynn-Very interesting. I guess it is just common sense. Of course if you schedule a drug test it is pretty easy to make sure your test will be clean.
Glad we didn’t keep him
“Fire sale” for the team w/the 2nd or 3rd best odds of winning the World Series.? You haven’t learned a thing since that two year rant you were on while posting as NoMadBumNoPlayoffs. Why don’t you join the troll Dumpster Theo and be a White Sox fan. You’d really have something to whine about then. It’s a cinch that strong team, roster, and organization building is beyond you. Profar’s situation is unfortunate, but it’s hardly the demise of the franchise.
Yes those are tainted odds. What do you think their odds are of being 0-7?
I don’t know Mutts troll. Why don’t you post one of your moronic opinions on that.
It’s going to be a very long season for you but at least you’re creative enough to change the Mets to Mutts.
The Mets started terribly last year. The Marlins are ahead of Atlanta and NY. You should know better than to overestimate the first month of the season.
Mutts fans know a lot about “very long seasons.” Your franchise has had decades of them.
They did have a longer season than the Braves last year. Don’t forget the only reason you made the playoffs last year is because the Mets gave you the last game. I do love how Braves fans think they have a storied franchise with only 4 World Series titles in 154 years.
……and I do love how Mutts fans think they have something because they won 2 WS (and a measly 5 pennants in 62 years)— in their entire existence—-w/one of them being a gift from Buckner. There’s a reason intelligent baseball fans call you guys the LOL Mets.
Buckner’s error did not give the Mets the Series. The score would have been tied in the 6th game had he made the play. But baseball experts feel that Nashville is too insignificant to even be considered for an expansion team.
Cocaine gave the Mets the 86 series, not Buckner.
“Cocaine is one helluva drug.” – Rick James.
Mets Era Thumping Soto
I love it when smack talking Mutts fans come on here and poke their chest out trying to assert that somehow Mets are better than the Braves. You’ll first have to win 100 games more than the Braves to catch up over the past 15 years.
Atlanta Braves Total Wins: 1,260 | Total Losses: 1,026
A winning percentage of approximately .551 over 15 years.
The Mets’ winning percentage is approximately .507, over the last 15 years, showing a more inconsistent trajectory with peaks in 2015, 2016, and 2022.
Comparison: The Braves have won 99 more games than the Mets over this period (1,260 vs. 1,161) and lost 101 fewer (1,026 vs. 1,127), indicating a stronger overall performance within the NL East context.
The Braves won the NL East title in the following years:
2010, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Total: 8 NL East Titles
Notably, the Braves won six consecutive titles from 2018 to 2023, a dominant stretch.
The Mets won the NL East title in:
2015
Total: 1 NL East Title
The Braves have significantly outperformed the Mets in capturing NL East titles, with 8 to the Mets’ 1 over the last 15 years.
From 2001 to early 2025 the Braves lead the Mets 168-125 in 297 games, a .573 winning percentage.
For a more recent snapshot, in the last 20 games prior to 2018, the Braves went 13-7 (.650). In 2022 , in 2023 the Braves won the season series 10-3, and in 2024, they split 10 games 5-5.
Have a nice day Mets…Era
Error–edit
Braves have played the Mets 26 times in the last 3 seasons (with 2025 counting as one of those three). Atlanta has the better record at 17-9.
How many NL East titles did you say, Mets Era?
Actually, it IS being considered.
Nashville like Charlotte is Braves country. Evidence by Nashville Jeff. #1 reason they might not get an expansion team.
Charlotte isn’t Braves country. Most of North Carolina is blacked out from the Nationals and Orioles. Braves aren’t even offered on my tv service.I hardly see anyone in NC wear Braves clothes. I don’t think many people
Are buying season tickets for the Braves when it’s a 4 hour commute each way.
who cares what the mets or braves have done in past years?wich team is going to win the nl east this year, should be the debate.i however, i feel for the braves fans.its another black eye on baseball.as for the braves,they will only be on the hook for 1 and a 1/2 years,since no players will receive a paycheck in 27.to many owners want a cap and floor.both the yankees and red sox owners have said they are in favor of a cap and floor.and they are large market teams.the players and owner cry that they are broke.there is many of us that make a 100k a year.but how many of us,or what percentage of fans make over 1 million per year?maybe all of us on here should argue over what are gonna be our new summertime hobbies, when baseball goes away for a year or two?
I do a lot of fishing in the spring, summer, and fall slimray. Guess i won’t be listening to Braves radio broadcasts while I’m fishing if your strike prediction comes true.
Does he still get paid? Team should sue him and void the contract as he misrepresented himself.
Nope. Unpaid suspension.
Doesn’t get paid for the 80 games he misses but the Braves remain on the hook for the rest of the contract after the suspension expires.
Yeah okay and if I had wheels I’d be a wagon. But neither of those are how things work irl.
Yikes
Except you can bc of bat speed.
Say it ain’t so, Pro!
Preller must be shaking his head in disappointment right now. Those two go way back when Profar was a prospect for the Rangers. I’m disappointed in Profar, the stain never really goes away 😔
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Hehe. Now we know why he never regressed to the mean after a hot start last year. First Tatis now Profar. Who’s next Manny? Is Profar going to use the I didn’t knowingly take this substance excuse? I wonder if the Braves can claw back money from their terrible contract now.
“You” worrying about “us” is hilarious.
Who says I’m worrying? It’s just interesting that two of the three Padre stooges have cheated, which makes me highly suspicious of the third stooge. That’s all.
Well then, carry on with your suspicion… and good luck this year.
@mlbdodgerfan. Who’s the third stooge. Larry, curly or moe.
He sounds like a Shemp fan.
You’re a stooge if you don’t know that. We all know.
See?
You realize all these guys, and “stooges” get tested multiple times each year, right? Profar got tested 8 times in 2024 is what I’ve heard.
The part where Tatis got popped for a slightly elevated level of a substance that was hurting his bone healing process while on IL with a bone issue doesn’t really speak to a endemic padres PED problem.
If anything, we got a problem with foreign players not checking that everything that goes in their bodies while in foreign countries is mlb approved. Which, yeah, is a problem, but not the malicious one you imply.
I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith— as there’s a drive into deep left field by JSC Cubbs, it will be a home run… and so that’ll make it a 4–0 ballgame.
We all know that testing does not always catch PED usage. Do you mean ringworm for Tatis. It is interesting that every time an athlete is caught doping it’s never intentional. Lots of excuses after the fact. “Ignorance” is bliss, and in this case extremely lucrative for Profar.
Machado. I kind of doubt he would need to juice though.
The big tell is whether their performance level changes after getting busted. Was Tatis a worse player post suspension? That kid on the Reds sure was. My guess is Profar tanks to his norm now.
Likely not as he already got paid but he is coming off two subpar offensive seasons.
Whoooooaaaaa Bravos
Peacock Tatis, Profar with last season’s numbers. Might want to check out Padres clubhouse restrooms…
“Peacock Tatis..Clubhouse restrooms”….Word on the street is that ringworm is running rampant in the Friars Clubhouse.
So, hang the **** on. The ******* New York Yankees, not only do they buy up all the talent like the Dodgers, but they utilize torpedo bats now, which are in the shape of bowling pins so how are they not all going to prison for cheating? I mean it’s bad enough that the damn braves suck so bad they can’t even climb their way out of the seller but now we’ve got the New York Yankees hitting nine home runs in a baseball game because they have brand new cheating bats?????!!!!!. WTF!!!!!!!!!!???????? I guess it’s a free-for-all. We can all just go back to cheating. Let’s just Roid up again. Tell the players to break out the ass cream. Leave Profar alone!!!!!!!!!
Cheating would mean breaking the rules. The Yankees haven’t broken the rules.
And I say this as a Dodgers fan who enjoyed watching the Yankees fall apart in the World Series.
The bats should be as illegal as the steroids dude stop kidding yourself. And speaking of buying up all the talent the Dodgers are number one Yankees are number two.
Those bats are publicly available for purchase and MLB-approved:
victussports.com/pro-reserve-bats/
Brewers also gave up 11 runs to the Royals today. They have a pitching issue not everyone else is cheating issue. There could also be downsides of using the bats too like being less effective against pitches outside. The season is 3-5 games young. One weekend doesn’t prove anything especially when the bats are legal by mlb standards and other teams tried them last year too.
Other players on other teams are using the bats. I believe Lindor is using the same bat, but anyway it’s within regulation. Brewers have a pitching problem right now, Royals just spanked them today too.
The bats are 100% legal.
Home runs in one game, not runs
But the Yankees just happened to be the only team using them
@Ralphus_JPS
I’m aware that the Yankees are easy to hate but please consider the facts:
mlb.com/news/mlb-reaction-to-yankees-torpedo-bats
There have been numerous articles written about the topic in the past week.
Then Profar should be able to pop as many pills or inject as many needles as he wants it should be a free for all. Pitchers should be able to put tar on the baseball spit turds whatever they need to. It’s not fair to the pitchers
Pitchers should be able to use T-shirt cannons and put the baseballs in those on the pitchers mound
Then so should steroids be.
@Ralphus “the bats should be as illegal as the steroids”
Except they’re not and PEDs are. There you go, you can stop typing idiocy now.
Thanks for the article link.
I have heard nothing of new bats what is the story there?
The Cubs also have guys using the same “Torpedo” bats…. The bats are quite literally approved by MLB and any team could’ve ordered that style for use. The bat is physically the same, it simply moves the thickest part of the barrel closer to the hands.
Yep, Braves just ordered some over the weekend. Might be a little late on that.
Yeah they need new coaches
Torpedo bats won’t help the Braves! Their at-bats are shorter than the Commercial Breaks in between innings!
Hahahaha NashvilleJeffe
I noticed what happened to Milwaukee vs. KC in today’s game and have to wonder if maybe it’s not just the torpedo bats or the NYYs.
If we’re going to allow these bull**** bats, then we need to allow all steroids and allow all the steroid boys of summer into the Hall of Fame not to mention Pete Rose Who I think Trump was going to put in the Hall of Fame, thankfully. It’s all or nothing.
If the pitching is going as poorly as it is and they are doing so as a team known for being home run or bust during a hotter than normal day, then yes an irregularly high home run total will follow. It’s way yy too early to tell if the bats had any major effect. It’s an insanely small sample. I bet the Yankees will not go 162-0 and lead the league with 2000 runs off of 1500 ho.e runs as much as I would like that to be true.
Nine home runs in a baseball game is something that only happens once in a blue moon. Obviously they are like corked bats. when you have the Yankees hitting more home runs than you can shake a monkey‘s nuts at something is wrong. Like I said it’s all or nothing. allow all steroids and let the home runs fly or ban everything no in between.
Your bone to pick is with MLB, not specifically a single team.
“A Major League Baseball spokesman told The Athletic that the bats don’t break any rules. MLB Rule 3.02 states that a bat “shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.” It also says that “experimental” bats can’t be used “until the manufacturer has secured approval from Major League Baseball of his design and methods of manufacture.”
This has nothing to do with a banned MLB PED substance like steroids.
Ralphus you are really on one! I fully support you in all your endeavors.
Well, all I know is I’m an avid bowler and I know how those damn pins go flying when you hit pocket. It can’t be much different when a baseball hits that bat.
Ooooookaaaay…you certainly seem like an emotionally stable and reasonable person! DO go on lol.
Ralphus
Wow, you’re one rant away from a one ticket to the Enchanted Kingdom. Ahahahahahaha!
lol!
Unfortunate.
Where have you been Tow. Glad to know you are still with us.
Come in tow, have a seat. We’ll, I’ll keep this short. You’ve been traded to Atlanta’s fanbase. We appreciate your time here and wish you the best in the ATL. Go have fun, kid. Your plane ticket is on the table outside.
*finger gun*
C’mon Gwynning. Just because I laughed when you said you’d trade tow for TradeAcuna didn’t mean that I agreed to the deal. Calling take back. How about we just deal you TradeAcuna for cash considerations? Two cents will do nicely.
tow is 38,000 feet above Texas right now, too bad you didn’t say anything sooner otherwise we totally would have accommodated your request. As is, no takebacksies is legally in play.
Dang it. Just gonna have to hope somebody gives him a faulty parachute after they tell him he’s been traded to the White Sox, Marlins, or Rox fan base………………
Nash – a term that would likely be deemed inappropriate came to d which I will refrain from typing due to fear of offending. Even though it’s a term they most all of us over say, 45 grew up with.
As for Pro and as a padres fan, Tatis before him, and a few others that have been mentioned there are unfortunately, commonalities present.
Ha ha. I’m definitely (well) over 45.
Me too!
It’s not obviously. 3 of the home runs were from Judge nit using the Torpedo bat and someone pretty well known for hitting home runs. Wells can hit home runs Bellinger hit to rf in Yankees stadium definitely the bats magic. Goldschmidt a power hitting 1B know for hitting well against the Astros. It was a perfect storm. I guarantee you they don’t do that again this year.I would love them to do that again, but it’s not a repeatable feat obviously. It’s 3 games Your favorite team whomever they are still has a chance
@NashvilleJeff
That’s an overpay.
Longtime-Things we’re looking pretty dark for that guy glad he didn’t blow his brains out or something.
Hope el niño has enough of that stuff for sheets & Hayward & Yuli to have their rebound seasons too!
That’s a funny name for a PED
Really really wish Braves could release him. I know players union has upper hand but if a player cheats, he needs to be gone. No protections!! This is ridiculous. Players know what’s on the band list. If you a player is anbout to put anything in his mouth or rub anything on his skin, he should call his agent and have the agent check it with MLB. No excuses!! It’s not hard. This is flat out cheating to get a big contract and it’s pathetic. Great teammate. Thanks for nothing…literally.
Profar 🤝 Tatis
San Diego/LA is a hot bed of PEDS.
Both way overpaid. tatis really took them for a ride. Tatis is injury prone and doenst seem the same after all the injuries and now no juice.
Will he blame it on the ring worm in san diego?
Hahahahahahah. Idiot.
Also why’s it *mostly* foreign players getting popped anymore
Idiot? He signed with the Padres for $1M and juiced his way to a 3-year $42M contract. He’ll lose half a year of pay so it seems to me he’s $35M richer than before cheating.
MLB needs to give teams a way to nullify the contracts of PED users because right now the reward is well worth the risk
Idiot using steroids and getting caught. Yes. Do you consider that intelligent?
I feel a ‘13% of the population’ rant coming
Hooboy! Do 13% of baseball players inject all the juice?
A lot of foreign born players go home in the offseason. Different countries have different drugs and remedies available in pharmacies. Some guys don’t pay enough attention to what they are taking for normal problems, while other guys probably try to take advantage of the opportunity.
Will Smith was right… Profar is Mr Irrelevant
When did he fail the test? How is MLB keeping test results like this under wraps while teams have to decide who to pay and who not to pay??? If he tested positive before his deal was signed that is totally insane.
The cba agreed to between owners and players controls that..they knew/know this is a possibility
Mlb said the test he failed was in the off season but did not provide a date. The drug he took was HCG, the same drug manny ramirez tested positive for. It helps thicken a person’s uterine lining to support a growing embryo and tells the body to stop menstruation when it occurs naturally. It is used after a steroid cycle to restart a bodys normal production of testosterone.
Breck-Holy crap that is super lame. The Braves got absolutely fleeced by Profar and MLB!
That’s my main question, 99. When did he pop? I assume it was Spring Training because it would have been announced sooner otherwise.
Yeah I am assuming he was one of those that got surprise tested early on in the season for the announcement to be right now. If it was over the offseason then MLB should have announced it then so all the teams that were going to consider him could’ve adapted their plans.
100% Beer
@gwynning. Yeah that’s my guess it would be a good time to have drug tests when they report.
Clearly, Profar’s PED dealer resides in the S.D area. This explains why Profar is only good in S.D.
Just when it couldn’t get worse.
Jurickson Far from Pro. That’s all.
There goes his shot at Cooperstown
I’m glad the Friars dodged this bullet…
Nearly a 110% chance he got it from Tatis
Funny how a 110% belief in your own head equals about a .00000001% chance in reality.
Gwynn, sometimes it is best to let them comment out the nonsense…
I’m clearly joking
I know Judge’s parents and the kind of household he would have grown up in. I can’t imagine him using PEDs.
No one with any common sense thinks Judge is using PEDs.
Nah not PEDs but he’s fine using juiced balls
You do understand that Goldilocks means halfway between too juiced and not juiced enough, as in “just right?” So the balls he was hitting during his home run campaign were literally average? I know this is a baseball site but reading comprehension at a kindergarten level would be appreciated…
Me : 1
Ryno : 0.
Will be a Padre again after Braves cut him, ready for the playoffs in 2026
Ya, big surprise… Did execs actually believe he was just suddenly good after all these years? Padres happily rode that juiced performance but, alas, it wasnt enough. Didnt anyone wonder why Preller made no move to retain him? The signs were all there…
I was not happy with profars signing but i had no clue he was using steroids. I just thought he had peaked, had one good year and that the braves were buying high on a performance that would not be repeated.
Everyone knew Preller made no move to retain him because his budget was already spent.
Stymee-His steroid budget?
He is way overpaid at his age. Good agent to get that deal.
To stay under the cap. They needed pitching. Plus we all knew Profar isn’t worth $15 million a year. He said he was tested 8 times in 2024 and they found nothing.
“I had ringworm bro! “
I thought this was a huge signing for the Braves. Now he’s just a cheater.
I would love to see the comment section on his contract signing article to see the people that were happy about that signing. My thoughts were “Oh that seems a little steep.” Now it is looking very steep indeed. Kind of like Scherzer’s contract.
Always a risk signing other teams players. Stick with team friendly extensions. Hitting the ball drastically harder was a red flag. Your staff has to be able to determine if it was swing change or roids.
Definitely want your people to tell the difference. Ouch. $42m.
I’m contemplating changing my username to “TradeTradeAcuna”, if only trading fans was a thing. I’d celebrate us sending your fandom anywhere else, for anything.
On behalf of San Diegans far and wide, we accept your proposal of TradeAcuna for towinagain. No take-backsies!
a lose-lose proposition if ever I heard of one.
The Cincinnati delegation would like to be skipped in the waiver claim when you both inevitably release your new acquisitions.
Preemptive decline in the Waiver process reminds me of a pre-flop blind raise. I like it, Joe!
Knew you were a fellow poker player.
Straddle up!
No way is that dude a real Braves fan.
From the above article:
“Presumably, Atlanta had no idea about Profar’s test when they signed him or they wouldn’t have done the deal”
Is this implying that Profar was tested before he signed the contract with ATL, or is this just an ambiguous sentence?
@jose hunter. I don’t think the mlb releases test results right away. Probably wasn’t during the padres season, but it could’ve been a day after he signed the contract or in spring training.
That’s what I’m wondering???
@99socaltrc. Yeah he could’ve appealed it. I know tatis and braun played a bit. Who knows how it works during the offseason if you pop dirty.
Ambiguous af, imo
He was tested when he arrived at spring training on February 14th. He signed on January 23rd. It is a really bad example of journalism from Darragh.
So they save ~$7M while he’s on suspension. Does that figure also come off of their competitive balance payroll figure?
I wouldn’t think they could count against them.
I believe it does as the CBT calculates the total contract allotment over the AAV. Since he’s now getting $7MM less, the AAV of his contract will drop as well.
Negative Clip. He’s still earning $12MM TY but losing half that pay.
*His AAV is still calculated as
$14MM ($42MM/3Y)*
The only break the Braves get is the literal payroll savings.
Hm, interesting. Ok, thanks Gwynning, I appreciate it.
He’s making 12 but being fined 6, if that makes more sense. NP Clip. Bronx Bombers are aptly named again, eh? 9 dingers a game is impressive!
I know, I just wish they could do it when it matters (against LAD!).
Twinning!
Should have at least tried a torpedo bat before resorting to the needle
Sometimes, these guys take a new supplement or medication without checking it against the banned substance list. It can happen, though I think it’s inexcusable with all of the athletic and medical staff available to them. Sometimes, they take something they know they shouldn’t. Not sure how you accidentally take HCG.
He knows. They all do.
You can’t lump them all together. Each situation is not the same. Manny Ramirez was caught taking a female fertility drug, which is used when coming down from a steroid cycle. No other reason for him to take that.
Believe him or not, Fernando Tatis Jr. actually had ring worm. He didn’t check that the medicine he got was compliant. It wasn’t and it showed up in a test.
I can’t think of the guy’s name, but there was a pitcher who got popped 3 times and banned from the game. He was eventually reinstated. He denied it every time.
It’s the responsibility of the player to abide by the policy, whether that’s not juicing or being super cautious about what goes in their body.
What Profar took is the same as ManRam.
Tatis had ringworm during the lockout so was unable to check with team doctors or MLB personnel to check if the prescription cream he was given to treat the ringworm would make him fail a test. That doesn’t absolve him. He is still responsible for what goes in or on his body.
Ah, yes. I forgot Manny took the same thing. Wasn’t that when he got a season-long ban and just retired?
They should be able to void the contract, but they can’t. Ridiculous.
It is interesting based on the timing. They aren’t paying him for the time he’s suspended but there’s obviously more to that, like, do you want to have that hanging over the team when he comes back?
So much for the revamped swing explaining his uptick in production.
I was wrong about him. It begs the question of how often players are getting randomly tested as his ’24 second half took a performance dive.
I was too. I actually bought into the swing change, and thought, along with that, he was a late bloomer.
Players have outlier years, including players in their 30s. It’s why plenty of guys have lifetime BAs of, say, .253. But never mind the PED thing: With a player like Profar, you had to know that ’24 was more than likely a “peak” year, and not the beginning of some kind of consistent run of production, given that he would be 32 when the season began. Giving him $42M for 3 years is crazy. $15M for 2 years might have been more logical — and under the circumstances, wouldn’t have hurt so much.
Goose, You make some good points. But revamped swings have worked to turn careers around. Justin Turner is a good example. So I think it’s possible that a revamped swing, in combination with a peak year, might have resulted in a spike as large as his 2024 season.
On the other hand I absolutely agree that giving him 3/$42M, was nuts. I would want to see more than that one exceptional season out of 11. Team options would have been a good safeguard against it being one fluky season.
Couldn’t get you the timestamps (HIPAA, HIPAA!) but Profar was tested 8 times in 2024 as a Pad.
Unas son de cal y otras son de arena
Where was the part where he says he was sorry he got caught but not sorry he did it
Indeed it explains 2024 Profar.
Meanwhile, AA Back scouring the waiver wire!
A T T N : S P E N D * S O M E * M O N E Y !
D A T * P R O F A R * M O N E Y * G O N E * !
T O O * C L O S E * T O * T A T I S * J R * !
Profar signed a contract he knows he can’t possibly live up to and will get to keep all but 80 games worth.
So by cheating he’ll still profit over $30 million.
The union should be definitely behind contract nullifications for proven PED use during the next CBA negotiations. If they really want it out of the game, set up an independent board so players can submit whatever supplements that players are considering using so that they can first be evaluated.
I believe I read that the testing folks will test supplements if the players request it.
The testing of store bought supplements is true, Halos. Or the team has MLB approved bags to hand out. YBC- the perceived issue with automatic contract nullification is the “innocent before guilty” aspect. This was discussed League-wide. As is, I’m cool with an automatic contract tear-up on a 3rd offense, I guess? 3 strikes and yer out.
@Gwynning No doubt. Leave no stones unturned before starting the nullification process. If the player uses a non-union attorney to fight it, the whole thing can get very drawn out. I have no idea what needs to be done but it can be done if MLBPA *really* wants PEDs out.
Can you still even play after 3 positives?
Nope. Lifetime ban.
The only thing that would make this comment section better would be if the Padres had traded Profar and that contract to the Braves. Kind of like when they were hiding medical info.
Gwynning, on a 3rd strike you are permanently banned from the game unless the Commissioner grants a waiver and you have to wait at least 2 years to apply, so your contract is already nullified.
Wade, no.
Preller got a slap on the wrist for that, a one-month vacation at a time of the year when GM’s are not doing a damned thing other than watching playoff baseball. He took the fall so MLB could change the rules for all teams. At the time many teams had been accused of doing similar things. Now no team can do it. Taking an aspirin has to be reported to MLB who now keeps all the medical data.
The President of the club, Mike Dee, was fired for it on October 12, 2016 since it he had set up that system the year before Preller was hired and Preller was given a raise, a new title, and all of Dee’s Baseball Operations responsibilities after Preller returned from his month long “suspension”.
Pomeranz didn’t miss a single start for the Red Sox that season or the next. He wasn’t injured. He took ibuprofen and the Padres didn’t note that in his medical files.
It is super important to look at the entire story. Otherwise, you look like a total putz when you try to make comments about it.
Yeah, odd phrasing by myself but what I meant is I’m cool with the current 3rd strike and yer out set-up.
Here to +1 on web’s info- Preller was the fall guy because a trainer hadn’t recorded a dose of ibuprofen and/or aspirin on Pom’s chart. This is what has every rube nowadays claiming Preller kept separate records… tainted medicals… etc. etc. for years now. True story! Great recall, web. I don’t think anyone is trying to be a putz though, it’s just that not everybody knows the real truth. But props for your good info! Go Pads
That is pretty interesting. I remember it being reported as an elbow injury that he had played through.
Your memory is faulty.
Most are.
YBC, why would they be behind taking money away from players? That makes absolutely no sense.
There already is a way for players to have supplements tested. In this case HGC is an injectable drug that has to be refrigerated, not an orally ingested drug in a pill, powder, or cream form so there is little chance of having it being tainted.
If Profar was a man he won’t accept the money.
That disgusting piece of dog turd still gets 30 million dollars in 26 and 27
His statement specifically said that he tested positive “this offseason” and they apparently were not made aware of it.
They should be able to void his contract, but I’m guessing they won’t be.
Maybe they became aware of it sometime this offseason … signed DLC, Verdugo and Marisnick …
Just spit-balling here and I don’t have the timelines in front of me, but makes you wonder when the Braves might have become aware of it.
They cant void it. Players association union.
His contract is proof that cheating always pays in MLB
I am sure he found a way to get around it last yr. At his age to have a career year? He is a payroll bandit and we will be a total bust.
Meanwhile Trevor Bauer was suspended and black listed for something he didn’t do.
Make way, silly Goose coming thru!
I think this goose might be right chief
If you think that, you fool yourself. MLB has the top investigative team. He was involved in alot. Not just that one woman. Bauer is a walking circus. No team risks hundreds of millions in payroll to accoodate him with his record. Its not worth it.
@robw5555
Such a great investigative team that MLB didn’t even need to deploy it against Shohei Ohtani to know he was innocent.
(Yes, I know, “the Feds cleared him”. If Ohtani were Trevor Bauer, MLB would have conducted its own separate investigation, Fed conclusions be damned.)
Gee, MLB and the rest of the baseball community forgot to check with Goose about Bauer. Do share your evidence with us Chief Investigator Goose.
@ so-called informed
MLB did deploy its own investigation on Ohtani. Try learning the facts.
The Braves would probably love to have the Bauer problem over the Profar problem right about now. And they could use Bauer in the rotation for sure!
If the Braves wanted Bauer what is stopping them from signing him? Seems like an obvious counter to your belief and support of a guy that you don’t even know personally but believe that you know what happened. Ask yourself, why are you waging this battle? There has to be something more productive you could be doing.
Wish they could have a clause that your contract is void if you cheat
It’ll be in the next CBA, I think the owners will fight for this
Good luck with that. What are the owners going to give the players to get that? Removal of the CBT entirely?
Well well well
Welp, now we know why he had his breakout year last season.
Good friend of FERNANDO RINGWORM JR
Trained extensively with FERNANDO RINGWORM SR
PED PROFAR!!!
You’re supposed to roid up before you secure the bag not after
The fact that he says he was “tested four times last season and never tested positive” sort of implies he did…
Profar quoted as saying:
“There is nothing I love more than competing with my teammates and being a fan favorite.”
Yeah, ok.
Oof. Gut punch. Sad to see.
Yoshida for a bag of balls?
Replace “Yoshida” with “Devers” – Any Red Sox fan.
Now you know why Profar had a career year at his age and got a 43 million dollar deal. I am 100% certain the 43 million dollar contract will be a total bust.
I looked up this hCG, and apparently it is a hormone that women produce when they are pregnant and is what they test for during a pregnancy test. Side effects for a male is man boobs, infertility etc lol. Apparently though if you take it correctly as a male it boosts testosterone production.
Every single player reaction is “I would never knowingly take a banned substance.” If theres even a hint of truth to it…you’d think there would be a major MLBPA investigation into who is doping players without their knowledge or consent.
well said Dock. This guy is a cheater and no words prepared by an agent, his Union or AI can change the basic facts. His acceptance of the penalty and his apology make clear what his obfuscation muddled. This guy won. He received an inflated contract based upon deceit. The Braves and their fans are the losers here and it’s not fair. The contract he won with fraud should be voided. What a joke.
The tricky element is voiding contracts over a PED bust. I’m not SAYING a team might slip a player something without their knowledge..but.
This always seems to effect Latin players. Sometimes their allowed Rx in those countries wouldn’t pass FDA or reasonable muster. But I believe the MLBPA and MLB provide information on what’s allowed and cleared fairly specifically. And youd better believe it would be a question I’d ask.
The reality is we’ve never left the doping age. HGH etc have surpassed testing capabilities.
But yeah. There’s no excuse. Not at this point. And I do feel a bust from a test prior to appearing for a team should provide capacity for voiding a contract. It’s an agreement made under false pretense.
Wheres the investigation into who is doping these players? Ignorance of what you’re ingesting isn’t an excuse.
Not knowingly? Yeah it should be your BUSINESS to know.
Insert shocked faced emoji here
Some people just don’t learn. Penalties by now should be harsher. Minimum one full season if you get caught. Second offense, banned from MLB and eliminated from any HOF consideration.
Cheaters who get caught should he an example for all the dudes who put in the work, I agree harsher punishment is warranted.
Profar concealed a material fact to induce the Atlanta Braves into agreeing to the K terms.
^^^ and that’s what should get the contract voided.
hGC is only detectable in urine or blood testing for 10 days after injection. Profar signed on January 23rd. He was tested when he arrived at spring training on February 14th.
Non-guarantee the contracts. The entire contract is set up under the assumption of availability for thr first half of this season and playoffs. Years/amounts are based on that. It’s a simple character clause.
Not happening. What impossible suggestion would you like to make next.
When was the test taken? If it’s recent, it’s a weird time to start juicing–after getting the big contract? If it’s a half season ago, that would be more interesting.
Exactly. No logic in the notion that he just started. Successfully avoiding detection for a while makes more sense.
I guess that amazing season last year really was an outlier. I’m guessing the Padres may have known this was coming, hence the no contract offer. Makes the Braves acquisition of Stuart Fairchild make sense and also opens the door for Alex Verdugo sooner than later
Suppose his statement was entirely created by ChatGPT, it is still possible to fool the test 8 times? Then how low the accuracy is for the current test.
I mean, he did go from a consistently below average player, who could barely hit his way out of a wet paper bag, into a masher over one season on the wrong side of 30. This is extremely unsurprising.
Makes sense with him all of sudden hitting a career high in homers and hasn’t had 20 homers since pre COVID.
Well, now we know how he had that huge season in 2024.
Tested 8 different times. Passed each time.
Preller is like Neo in the Matrix movie, dodged that bullet. Thank you for not bringing that dude and his janky defense back to the Friars. Same for Soto glad to not have him either. Go Pads!
Get ready: JuROIDSon ProfaRIODS. Got him!
Trade for Starling Marte. He’s clean now.
When was he a fan favorite? I think Will Smith said it right.. except now he’s not just irrelevant, he’s irrelevant and suspended now. Good luck coming back from that 80.
Guys don’t start in left field at the All Star game if fans don’t know who they are.
Apparently he also still lives rent free in Dodger fans’ heads.
No, Dodgers fans just look at their World Series trophy and laugh. And after years of being a mediocre player, he has one good season and of course, we find out that that he’s juicing. It’s ok little bro. Keep counting those wild card victories.
I joke with you on the little bro stuff, but to give you an idea of who this Dodgers fan is.. I’m stoked for you guys (of course assuming you’re a Pads fan) on the Merrill deal. The Pads did great on that deal with Profar last year. As a baseball fan.. its just disappointing to see him show up dirty. Take the fandom out and he was a good story last year.
Must be those darn old beaver tranquilizers.
And to think someone wanted to trade me this guy for Hunter Greene in fantasy baseball…
This could secretly force them to fix their outfield cheaper and better. Profar’s out until July, and they’ve got shaky options like Kelenic (.231 last year) and De La Cruz (.154 early this year). But with Acuña back in May and Verdugo soon, they can lean on those two plus cheap guys like Fairchild (great defense) and still compete. The $14MM they’re not paying Profar during the suspension frees up cash to grab a bargain pitcher or hitter midseason—turning a disaster into a leaner, smarter roster that might outplay last year’s pricey setup. It’s a forced pivot nobody’s seeing yet.
That is $6 million they are not paying Profar. Half of his salary in ’25.
The difference between a million-dollar contract, little free agent interest, a waning career and wondering how you are going to take care of your family, to a 42-million-dollar 3-year contract
Yeah I would take my chances too for 80 days. They still have to pay him the rest..
Buyer beware.
Upon further review, glad the Stros didn’t get him.
I don’t understand how this is supposed to be a deterrent. Profar was so bad a couple years ago, he was released by Colorado when no one wanted to trade for him in August. IF these drugs enabled him to get back on track to sign a $42 million contract, then why wouldn’t he take them? Even losing $7 million in salary this year, he still has $35 million more guaranteed and all he has to do is not take any more drugs to get it. If he didn’t get better and have the great year in 2024, he would probably be playing on a minor league deal or even be out of the league altogether. Before judging the man, ask yourself if you would risk cheating at your job for $35 million dollars. I know I would and I know you would too, even if you don’t admit it.
Sign me up. I’ll inject cornflakes for like $10.
Cheating at your job might result in fraud charges that would land you in prison. How much money is worth going to prison? No amount for me, but for others their greed has no limit. Baseball cheaters should have to face those same fraud charges for illegal (at least by MLB/MLBPA rules) steroid use. Their “baseball law” should be cheat and lose it all—-the money and the career.
You don’t go to prison for breaking the rules of your job by doing something otherwise legal. You are basically saying that a company’s rules should supersede the country’s laws. That is just an asinine thing to think.
I said “cheating at your job MIGHT result in fraud charges.” Of course it depends on whether or not there was illegality involved. Your strawman bs doesn’t make your “asinine” point valid. Try responding to what I actually said instead of twisting words. You’re also welcome to keep your childish insults to yourself.
I am also welcome to goodbye to you forever. Good luck in life, you will need it.
Never bothered commenting on your nonsensical posts until today. After previously wasting time reading your “thoughts,” I’ve skipped most of the garbage you babble about. Will definitely do so to all of it in the future.
Profar needs to walk away from the contract and not accept the money. It looks so bad if he continues on and takes the money. You would think he becomes persona non grata and nobody will want to play with him or pitch to him. He needs to walk away from the game or somehow not accept the contract and become a free agent again. If he has any dignity or respect that is what he has to do.
That is funny on all counts. Thanks for the great laugh
Be honest: would you?
Er, he is not the first guy to get caught and then return to MLB. He has a contract, and if he wants to play he can play. Unless they cut him, which they can do. So if no one will let him play, he’s done in MLB, but the contract will stand. C’est la vie.
Did he take Tatis Jr’s Soul Glo spray before he left San Diego?
Sad to see this happen. Profar is such a good guy. Regardless of whether its intentional or not, MLB players are still responsible for everything that goes onto and into their bodies. Although I have no idea how you can accidentally get HCG in your system since it’s an injection.
“I would never willingly take a banned substance”
So, someone jammed it down his throat while he was tied to a chair?
Yep! Tatis did! He didn’t want to get caught with it or have it go to waste.
I have said it all season…Profar had an outlier season never to be repeated and now we know why. He will play out his contract with substandard numbers, collect his 35 million left and be gone
We don’t know Profar cheated last year. We don’t know that he didn’t inject HCG accidentally. We don’t know that Tatis Jr. didn’t actually take roids to cure ringworm. You guys are just mad cuz SD is a beautiful city with a great baseball park with a very likable team made up of humble, never arrogant, honest hard working ballplayers that the league targets with tainted drug tests
That’s better than any vacation brochure I have ever read for the city.
Plus we all know the Dodgers cheated last year with that bullpen game just like we all know LA cheated when the Stros won in 2017 just didn’t get caught.
Huh? What do you mean they cheated with the bullpen game?
What are you talking about? Pathetic
“I would never willingly take a banned substance…but I did.” — Jurickson Profar
That was my thought too. HGC is an injection and something you have to keep refrigerated. You don’t take it by accident or get your supplements contaminated or spiked with it.
Braves suck
So now the Braves have an OF on a bad contract. I say trade him and eat a good portion of the deal and move on. Best case scenario is he keeps trying to beat the system and gets caught again for a lifetime ban and we get out of the deal. Profar can’t be that stupid, can he???
You hate to see it. Shame, I really wanted to believe he figured something out but this is truly brutal for the Braves.
Must be a false positive. #FreeProfar
I’ve said this before, MLB should impose a lifetime ban on these offenders , void their contract and make them pay back any money earned during their current contract. This would stop this BS. No Second chances , one positive test and your out of the game for life period.
MLB cannot impose penalties. They have to negotiate penalties with the MLBPA. A permanent ban from a single offense will never happen.
I just love the “I didn’t know, I would never knowingly”, blah blah blah. IMO, MLB/owners and lots of front office people, agents, trainers, etc. are to blame also. They know what’s going on, Arrieta had an unreal turn around of his career in his late 20s, peaked for about 3-4 years, then got money and off the juice to keep the money and then he sucked again, hmmmm. MLB apparently allows some players/teams a free pass cause they need fans, money, attention from younger viewers! If a fringe player gets on juice they’re like whoa or notice they suspend lots of minor leaguers, bullpen guys?!?!
I’ve said for many years just let players take whatever they want. Big Papi and his old fat butt had unbelievable year, his last year at like AGE of 40! NO ONE thought at all something might be going there or obviously earlier in his career?!?!
But here’s the kicker, to keep kids safe, the PLAYERS can’t advertise or talk about what they’re taking (or lifetime ban & forfeiture of contract). It’s about entertainment, competition and MONEY!!! Anyone find it little weird somehow Braves made prudent decision to sign Verdugo over a week ago or whatever? I know players/teams get info and then maybe can appeal. But whole drug testing system in MLB is a complete joke!
Low information conspiracies
I guess GONADotrophin didn’t raise any alarm bells.??
80 games seems… short!?
He was almost out of the league. He signed for 1 million dollars last year. I probably would’ve been taking PED too. All that aside. I don’t like how he carries himself on the field. He robs someone of a homer and then bounces around before presenting the ball to confirm the robbery. Disrespectful. Braves are going to regret this one.
Where was this humility and humble attitude when he was taunting fans in opposing teams stadiums from the outfield?
He’s a phony, if you read between the lines, Profar basically said the fans love me and I’m innocent.
Mr Irrelevant was a phony while spanking the Dodgers and taunting Dodger’s fans so you don’t like him.
I know. Sounds a lot like Braun. Though, the sad part is the home base fans truly believe these liars.