Baseball fans stunned that veteran outfielder Jurickson Profar is still a free agent: "This makes no sense at all" "Why isn’t he signed yet?"

Nine-year major league veteran Jurickson Profar is getting ready to play for Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic that begins next week. He doesn't have to worry about missing any time in MLB spring training for the international tournament, because as of the end of February, he is still a free agent.

Profar played the past three seasons with the San Diego Padres. However, shortly after the 2022 season ended, he opted out of the final season of a three-year contract that would have paid him $7.5 million for 2023. The move surprised many as Profar had just wrapped up a standard but unspectacular season with the National League finalists.

It's been nearly four months since Jurickson Profar hit the free-agent market, and he's seemingly become a forgotten man. An almost random tweet by MLB insider Jon Morosi on Tuesday confirming that the still-free agent Profar would be playing for the Netherlands – that news had long since been known – still caught people by surprise that the versatile player had yet to find a new major league home.

While Profar's statistics don't bowl anyone over -– career numbers of a .238 batting average, 78 home runs and 313 RBIs with the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics and Padres since 2012 – he has long been known as a trustworthy defender and "good clubhouse guy" during his time in the majors.

While many fans are sympathetic, though relatively ignorant to Profar's contractual plight, many do question the wisdom of the 30-year-old opting out of a guaranteed paycheck with a 2023 National League contender.

Profar had been rumored to be in contact with several major league teams this offseason, but so far no one has pulled the trigger. His long unemployed run has confused several fans into thinking he had signed with a number of different squads. Alas, he remains unattached.

A good WBC may enhance Jurickson Profar's chances of signing with an MLB team

Jurickson Profar of the San Diego Padres

If Jurickson Profar is able to impress for the Netherlands at March's World Baseball Classic, he could still end up on someone's roster by Opening Day. As the first few days of spring training have shown, injuries tend to upset the best-laid plans of teams.

For example, the Chicago Cubs lost outfielder Seiya Suzuki for an unknown amount of time due to a strained oblique. Profar will likely be the first call for teams like the Cubs or others should an injury take out a starting outfielder.