Ex-Padres fan favorite stokes reunion rumors with latest Instagram story

It's not a secret that the San Diego Padres' outfield is very much in flux heading into spring training. The team lost Juan Soto and Trent Grisham this offseason and the current internal options involve converting more shortstops into outfielders, which isn't exactly ideal.

Unfortunately, this was not the offseason to be in need of an outfielder as that market was extraordinarily shallow and lacking much in the same way impact bats were. Cody Bellinger was pretty much the lone target there, but he's been priced outside of San Diego's comfort zone from day one, as much as the fit made sense in a vacuum.

As a result, most expected the Padres to possibly sign a fringe outfielder to a one-year deal and try to develop their internal options some more instead of handing the reins of two thirds of the outfield to guys that haven't played the position before. As it turns out, the Padres may have already found their man if Jurickson Profar's Instagram is any indication.

Are the Padres on the verge of signing Jurickson Profar again?

San Diego fans are quite familiar with Profar at this point. From 2020 to 2022, Profar posted a .707 OPS over nearly 1,300 plate appearances while playing all over the field. San Diego seems to like him well enough given that they signed Profar to a minor-league deal late last year and played him in a handful of games the last month of the season.

The video that Profar posted was pretty clear. In it, there are a host of highlights from his time with the Padres (and only the Padres) and it concluded with "Job's not done." There's been little in the way of rumors surrounding Profar's free agency this offseason, but he fits the mold of a guy that can probably be had on a cheap deal and fill the gap in the outfield while providing some level of insurance in the infield in a pinch as well.

The only question is if a deal with Profar is imminent or if this is Profar lobbying for a return to San Diego. The latter is a possibility, but this feels awfully heavy-handed for PR push. Right now, the smart bet is that Profar is coming back assuming he isn't still asking for real money.

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