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11 hours ago
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The Atlanta Braves' season hasn't gone according to plan, and they have one person to blame above all else.
You can't predict that someone will get injured. You also can't prevent other players from struggling. But when a player is unavailable because of a performance-enhancing drug suspension, that's totally inexcusable.
Jurickson Profar signed a three-year, $42 million contract to join the Braves in January, and barely two months later, he was handed an 80-game suspension after a positive PED test. Meanwhile, the Braves' other corner outfielders have mostly been unplayable.
Profar's betrayal of trust was so egregious, in fact, that one Braves writer is calling on the team to take action in a drastic way.
On Friday, Nick Halden of FanSided urged the Braves to trade away Profar before the Jul. 31 deadline, in hopes that some other team would take on the last two years of the 32-year-old's contract.
"If Atlanta could find a team willing to take the final two years of the deal, there is an argument that they should swallow this year's salary. This is completely dependent on finding a team willing to take a risk on Profar," Halden wrote.
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"Bringing Profar back after such an egregious mistake is a difficult sell both to the fanbase and the clubhouse. Even when the outfielder returns this season, he can only take part in regular-season games. Having been suspended prevents the veteran from being a part of a postseason roster."
Here's where Halden's logic falls apart, though. How can you suddenly expect another team to take on Profar's contract midseason when he still wouldn't be eligible to play in the playoffs for them?
Profar's story was such a positive one last season when he made his first All-Star team out of nowhere. It quickly turned dark because of the suspension, and now for better or worse, the Braves are almost definitely stuck with him.
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