Padres' Jurickson Profar Has More Than Doubled His Base Salary This Year

Maren Angus-Coombs | Sep 10, 2024

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

When the San Diego Padres signed Jurickson Profar to a $1 million deal, they gave him the opportunity to make plenty more in performance bonuses.

Profar is all but guaranteed to earn an extra $300,000 on Tuesday, reaching the maximum playing-time incentives in the contract he signed with San Diego back in February.

Entering Tuesday, Profar has logged 598 plate appearances this season, just two shy of the final bonus level in his contract, which includes up to $1.5 million in incentives. His base salary for the one-year deal is $1 million.

Even at a total of $2.5 million, Profar has proven to be a great value.

The 31-year-old left fielder ranks second in the National League with a .381 on-base percentage and, as of Sunday, had a 3.8 WAR — second among Padres position players, just behind rookie center fielder Jackson Merrill's 4.3.

With these bonuses, Profar’s 2024 earnings move him up to fifth among the team’s position players, placing him ahead of catcher Kyle Higashioka, who is set to make $2.18 million.

Since the All-Star break, the Padres have been the hottest team in baseball. Over the past two months, they've put together an impressive run filled with dramatic comebacks, standout performances, and near-daily sellouts at Petco Park.

Now, they have three weeks left to turn that momentum into a playoff spot.

However, San Diego has dropped three of its last four games and will open a five-game road trip in Seattle and San Francisco on Tuesday. The Padres will play the Mariners twice before avenging their weekend series series loss to the Giants over the weekend.

“Flush these two losses,” said Xander Bogaerts after Sunday's loss. “Tomorrow’s a nice off-day, a day everyone will probably need. Then refocus for Tuesday.”

Merrill was back in the starting lineup on Sunday after sitting out Saturday’s game due to a bruised left knee. He injured the knee on Friday when he took a foul ball directly to the kneecap.

Though the imprint of the baseball’s seams was still visible on his knee two days later, Merrill returned to center field. His solo home run in the fifth inning not only put the Padres on the scoreboard but also ignited their comeback effort.

“We didn’t have a doubt,” Merrill said. “We just kept playing the baseball game, let it take control of itself. I thought we were going to pull it out. Sometimes it doesn’t happen. Can’t expect us to come back and win every game that we’re down by a lot.”