Jurickson Profar's suspension for PEDs might explain why Padres had no interest in re-signing him

All offseason, San Diego Padres fans wanted Jurickson Profar to be re-signed. Coming off an electric season when he started in the All-Star Game, it seemed like giving Profar a new deal was easily in the cards for the Friars. Fans should now be glad that San Diego's front office elected to go a different way.

Profar, who is now an Atlanta Brave, was just hit with an 80-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's PED policy. He played in four games, coincidentally against the Padres, batting 3-for-15 with three strikeouts.

Jurickson Profar's suspension for PEDs might explain why Padres had no interest in re-signing him

Profar quickly sent out a press release, stating that he would never knowingly take a banned substance. He went on to say that he was tested for performance-enhancing drugs eight times last year with San Diego, and never came up with anything illegal in his system.

Unfortunately, this begs the question for Friars fans: Did San Diego have any sort of inkling that Profar would fail a drug test, and that is why he was never re-signed with the club? Nothing has been confirmed, but just four games into the new campaign, it does come off as a bit suspicious. Profar was a fan favorite at Petco Park, and no one in San Diego's camp is happy to see this happen to him.

On Opening Day, Padres fans gave Profar a standing ovation. It was one that clearly hit home for the 32-year-old.

Profar hit a career-high 24 home runs last year with the Padres, on top of 85 RBIs and a league-most 18 hit-by-pitches. He has been replaced in left field by Jason Heyward and Brandon Lockridge, who aren't necessarily better hitters than Profar. He is already missed, but now, Friars fans can breathe a sigh of relief that he didn't fail a drug test in a Padres uniform.