Padres should be embarrassed if MLB insider's Jurickson Profar prediction comes true

Jurickson Profar just had the best season of his career and was a large reason why the Padres were successful in the regular season. Now, he wants the money to back up that recent success, placing the Pads in a tough situation.

After losing Kyle Higashioka to the Rangers, and with the prospect of losing Adam Scott and Ha-Seong Kim to free agency as well, the Padres will be looking to make some additions to the roster for the 2025 season. Profar, however, may draw the short stick and be left out of the plans, as rumors of his departure have begun to swirl.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic has recently paired Profar with the Minnesota Twins as a potential landing spot, highlighting the Twins' need for corner outfielders who can hit against left-handed pitchers. Profar can do exactly that, putting up a .300 average and .885 OPS against lefties last season, the best marks of his career.

Bowden's proposed three-year, $39 million contract may seem like a lot of money to dish out for a player who just made his first All-Star game in his 11th season, but the Twins are eager to improve upon a corner outfield duo of Manuel Margot and Max Kepler, who both struggled at the plate last season.

For Padres fans, Profar's potential signing with the Twins should be appalling news, and to actually lose Profar to Minnesota would be, quite frankly, embarrassing. A mainstay at the top of San Diego's batting order and a player who was beloved by the fans even after his first departure in 2023, Profar is the caliber of player a competitive and wealthy team like the Padres cannot afford to lose, let alone to a non-playoff, mid-market team like the Twins.

A return to San Diego for Profar is what everybody wants, but will general manager AJ Preller be willing to spend the money? Profar himself has voiced his desire to stay with the team, and it is hard to argue that he did not seem thrilled to be back in San Diego last season, but predictions of a multi-year contract worth upwards of $12 to $15 million per year may put the Padres out of the hunt.

As his re-signing seems less likely by the day, the potential of a Profar departure brings new questions to a team looking to compete for a World Series in 2025. With the current list of free agent left fielders arguably all having worse 2024 seasons than Profar, possible replacement options for Preller to choose from are slim. There is hope a replacement could be found in the farm system, with Padres No. 17-ranked prospect outfielder Tirso Ornelas lighting up the Mexican Pacific Winter League, but the availability of a proven MLB worthy player in Profar is something the Padres should not pass up.