The Atlanta Braves spent the winter securing a star only to end up spending the regular season without him. Let’s just say the Atlanta Braves had an overwhelmingly quiet off-season. But then one calculated move that saved the Braves from coming up empty was signing Jurickson Profar to a three-year, $42 million contract. On paper, it initially felt like a win on all fronts. After all, the Braves’ lineup was about to get more dangerous.

As the dust settled, the excitement of signing him only lasted four games. Then, before you know it, he was hit with an 80-game suspension for testing positive for PED use. Not only will he be absent for the remaining regular season, but it also means that he will be missing the entire postseason.

It’s a massive loss for a team that spent most of their off-season spending on him. Adding to that belief, hear it from the USA Today’s insider who subtly pointed it out to the Braves: “Atlanta, who spent most of their money on outfielder Jurickson Profar this winter with a three-year, $42 million contract, now have to wonder if they were scammed.” However, Profar will have to give up $5,806,400 of his $12 million salary. Although the pressing issue for the Braves is the liability for his remaining two and a half years.

This is where it all gets messy—the overlooked red flag of Profar: “The question now is how will he look when he returns?” He hit .280 with a career-high 24 homers and an .839 OPS last season with the Padres. But was it simply a byproduct of PEDs?” the insider noted. Profar will be returning on June 29, 2025. That’s when the curtain will lift and we’ll get the answers.

Most importantly, for the Braves, it’ll be a tough pill to swallow if they find out they were scammed all this while.

Braves still struggling with their offense

Even after nine games into the 2025 season, the Atlanta Braves lie among the bottom five teams. Despite a stacked lineup and a change in hitting coach, they are still struggling with the same old problems. In the last off-season, the Braves parted ways with Kevin Seitzer—their longtime hitting coach. It happened majorly because of the team’s ongoing issue with base runners.

Last year, the Braves were ranked 20th and their batting average was .247 with runners in scoring position. And in this season, under the new coach—Tim Hyers, hitting with runners in scoring position is still a persistent issue. In fact, if anything, their stats have just gotten worse. They will be entering this week’s series against the Philadelphia Phillies with a .173 batting average (ranked 27th in MLB).

During an interview in the past off-season, Hyers laid it all out. He revealed the Braves’ hitters using “the whole field” and being “a little more fluid” in the context of scoring runners.

It’s fair to say that even in 2025, the Braves didn’t have an impressive start to the season. They have failed to get hits with base runners and well, unsurprisingly, they are the only team in MLB without a sacrifice hit. Even after a new coach, the Braves are facing the same old issues.

And now, at this make-or-break stretch of the season, there’s no room for any more errors. Given their same old struggles, the pressure now is not just on the team but on Hyers too. What do you think will the Braves bounce back?