The Atlanta Braves finally got their first win of the season on Friday, but they’re still dealing with a much bigger loss.
Outfielder Jurickson Profar was slapped with an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use earlier this week. Last season, Profar made the first All-Star appearance of his career with the San Diego Padres, which seemed like a great story.
Profar was Atlanta’s main offseason acquisition, and he was supposed to rescue them from a Jarred Kelenic-Bryan De La Cruz platoon once Ronald Acuña Jr. was healthy. Now, they’re likely wondering if they need to find a Plan B.
The Braves paid Profar $42 million over three years, and he’ll be back by the trade deadline. But they’ll need to improve their position in the standings a lot sooner than July, and they have to be questioning at this point whether Profar can be the same player he was last season when he returns from suspension.
With all that in mind, Newsweek’s Zach Pressnell urged the Braves to consider trading for Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who is technically in the final season of a $50 million extension, but has $20 million club options for 2026 and 2027.
“Luis Robert Jr. would be the perfect trade candidate for the Braves to look into adding,” Pressnell wrote. “Robert, 27, hasn’t hit well this season after struggling last year, too. But in 2023, he was an elite outfielder who won a Silver Slugger and received MVP votes.”
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“If the Braves can land him in a trade, they would have him under team control for the next three years at a very affordable price. It would likely cost Atlanta one or two of its top prospects alongside a young big leaguer like (Bryce) Elder.”
Robert put up 38 home runs and an .857 OPS in 2023, taking home All-Star and Silver Slugger honors. It’s the only time in his career he’s truly been both healthy and productive, but his talents are so immense that some team has to think they can bring that version out more consistently.
Perhaps the Braves can be that team, because right now, they’re in a moment of need.
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