Jurickson Profar could give Braves flexibility at the trade deadline

Alex Anthopoulos must have a busy trade deadline if he wants to improve the Braves enough to capture an unlikely postseason berth. There are more holes than one could count, but Jurickson Profar might give Atlanta’s President of Baseball Operations more flexibility.

The pitching staff needs addressing. The back-of-the-rotation could use another arm, someone who can stabilize that area. A reunion with Charlie Morton could be in the cards, but the bullpen needs attention too. A closer of the future would make life easier for Anthopoulos now and beyond the 2025 campaign.

Then, there is the lineup.. The Braves need to address the outfield and middle infield, which is where Jurickson Profar enters the fold.

Set to return to play on Wednesday, Profar is expected to slot into left field, but what if he were willing to take over one of the middle infield spots to enable Anthopoulos to cast a wider net into the trade deadline market?

For instance, Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan’s top 50 trade deadline targets include exactly one second baseman and one shortstop —  Luis Urias and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Meanwhile, there are five outfielders — Jarren Duran, Cedric Mullins, Luis Robert Jr., Taylor Ward, and Adolis Garcia.

There will be more outfielders available at the trade deadline than middle infielders. Therefore, they’ll be cheaper, which would enable Anthopoulos to bring in a similar haul as he did in 2021 when he brought in Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler, Joc Pederson, and Eddie Rosario, allowing Brian Snitker to play the hot hands.

Now, of course, that means Jurickson Profar is replacing one of Ozzie Albies or Nick Allen. That’s a pretty difficult decision. Defensively, it’s quite an easy decision. Allen is an elite defender playing the more difficult position. On the other hand, though Albies has been dreadful with the bat, he’s got a more proven track record offensively.

Profar has spent time at shortstop and second base, but we don’t have to pretend he was good in that role. Across 1,735 innings at second, Profar accrued -29 DRS and -9 OAA, compared to -6 DRS and -10 OAA across 837 innings at shortstop.

In comparison, Ozzie Albies has 24 DRS and 3 OAA across 8,351 career innings at second base. However, in the last three seasons, Albies has accumulated 2 DRS and -12 OAA. Profar might be worse than Albies defensively, but if he’s much better offensively, it might be worth exploring to improve the lineup.

The Braves defense isn’t the reason why they’re so disappointing. It’s the offense. Anyway Anthopoulos can improve the lineup, he should take advantage, even if it means giving up a little defense. It’s unorthodox, but it’s getting past the point of traditional solutions in Atlanta.

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Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire

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