Could Jurickson Profar’s time with the Padres be over before it begins?

In a recent interview, San Diego Padres reporter Kevin Acee talked about the defensive struggles at second base with Jurickson Profar.

After trading away Luis Urias early this offseason, San Diego Padres GM A.J. Preller immediately made a trade for Jurickson Profar to help fill the void at second base.

At the time, I thought the move was a knee-jerk reaction from Preller and it didn’t make much sense. Now that we’re a month away from the season, it makes even less sense and it sounds like the experiment could be over before it begins.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune said in a recent interview on The Darren Smith Show that there is a chance Profar’s defensive struggles could lead to the Padres cutting him before the season starts.

“He (Profar) is not on a guaranteed contract,” said Acee. “At some point in the middle of March they would owe him a certain portion, and it’s not very much.”

This link here explains how non-guaranteed contracts work for arbitration players. Basically, a team can cut a player before the 16th day of spring training and only owe them 30 days worth of pay based on a prorated version of their agreed upon salary.

Or they can cut him between the 17th day of spring training and the final day of spring training and only owe them 45 days worth of pay, which is most likely what the Padres would do if they are going to cut Profar.

The Padres and Profar agreed on a $5.7 million salary for the 2020 season. That means if they cut Profar before March 10 (16 days before Opening Day) they would owe him just over $900,000, or if they cut him between March 10 and March 25 they would owe him almost $1.4 million.

But why exactly would they cut a guy they traded away Austin Allen and Buddy Reed for before even giving him a chance in the regular season?

Acee says that it’s mainly because he can’t throw, even saying that it’s just “bad” sometimes.

While I’ve never liked that trade or Profar, it’s really hard to imagine them not giving him a chance during the season.

But as Acee said in the interview, “There is a reason Brian Dozier was brought in.”

And I wrote a while back that Profar better come to spring training ready to compete with all of the solid second base options San Diego has.

Acee went on to say he thinks Dozier is the favorite to get the majority of the starts at second base with Greg Garcia serving as a platoon option against righties. That idea doesn’t exactly excite me.

I’ve been really high on Jake Cronenworth but he’s yet to get any reps at second base this Spring; however, he looked really good at shortstop in the one game I saw him there.

Just a couple of weeks ago the Padres claimed Breyvic Valera off waivers and signed Gordon Beckham to a Minor League deal.

Both have already seen time at second base this Spring and Valera is already on the 40-man roster. Ty France is also on the 40-man roster and capable of handling second base.

Esteban Quiroz is another non-roster invitee like Beckham who could push his way onto the roster with a good showing in spring training.

Whoever it may be, it sounds like the second base position for the Padres is anything but settled.

There is no panic as we are still in February, and as I mentioned, there are plenty of options there.

But it sounds like if Profar doesn’t show a lot of improvement defensively, San Diego could cut him before Opening Day and save a good chunk of money.