1 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 1: Hello everyone, and welcome to the Hammer Territory podcast. I 2 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: am Scott Coleman, and it is something of a mini 3 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:37,599 Speaker 1: emergency podcast today because Braves outfielder jerks And Profar has 4 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: been suspended one hundred and sixty two games for the 5 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:44,920 Speaker 1: entirety of the twenty twenty six season for a second 6 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 1: positive performance enhancing drug test. The news came down on Tuesday, 7 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: almost noonish from ESPN's Jeff Passon, and I will say 8 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: this is going to be an abbreviated emergency reaction show 9 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: and we will have full coverage of the suspension and 10 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 1: the fallout for the Braves a little bit later today, 11 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: but wanted to get you guys a quick reaction show 12 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: and what this means for the Braves. So no Jerks 13 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:17,040 Speaker 1: and Profar for the twenty twenty sixth season. He will 14 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 1: forfeit the entirety of his fifteen million dollar contract for 15 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: twenty twenty six so the Braves do not pay Profar 16 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:28,680 Speaker 1: a dime this season with good reason. Of course, You'll 17 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: remember that what was it five days into the season 18 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: a year ago, Profar was popped for a positive PED 19 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,839 Speaker 1: suspension cost him half of the year and about six 20 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 1: million dollars in salary. This really sucks for the Braves. 21 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,920 Speaker 1: Losing Profar a year ago really hurt this team. And 22 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: we know they had to just shuttle in to some 23 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: awful baseball players to be honest, to fill in left 24 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: field while Profar was out for cheating. And now, as 25 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: we are four weeks away from opening Day, Profar gets 26 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: caught cheating again. And we're going to talk about the 27 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 1: fallout for the Braves and what this means, but let's 28 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: talk about Jerkson Profar for a minute. This guy absolutely 29 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 1: sucks as a professional. He sucks as a human being. 30 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: He sucks. The fact that he very clearly now cheated 31 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: his way to a career year with the Padres in 32 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: twenty twenty four and bamboozled the Braves into giving him 33 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 1: a three year, forty two million dollar contract, rewarding him 34 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,920 Speaker 1: for a career year which was very likely ped fueled. 35 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: And I don't know how he was able to mask 36 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: those steroids in his system for a year, but he 37 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 1: did it with San Diego. The Braves reward Profar with 38 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 1: a big contract, basically the only big move they made 39 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,359 Speaker 1: a year ago in the offseason. Five days into the year, 40 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 1: he screws the team over and now the Braves are 41 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,800 Speaker 1: left scrambling with a player who was expected to be 42 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: their primary DH. He was going to play left field 43 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: quite a bit and was going to hit somewhere in 44 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: the top five or six in the order, and now 45 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: the Braves won't have profar. It's not good. And the challenge, 46 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,080 Speaker 1: of course, is that we are now in the first 47 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: week of March. If this suspension would have come down 48 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: middle of the offseason, the Braves could have adjusted. They 49 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: would have had fifteen more million dollars to spend. There 50 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,080 Speaker 1: were free agents available, you would have more time to 51 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: make a trade. There's not much out there now, and 52 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:32,800 Speaker 1: we'll talk about a couple of possibilities at the end 53 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: of the show and again later on tonight we will 54 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: have a full reaction with Sean and Stephen breaking down 55 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: where the Braves go from here. But moving forward, the 56 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: Braves currently have Dominic Smith in training camp in spring. 57 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: Not great. Dominic Smith is a veteran who could hit 58 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: right handed, pitching decently. Eventually, you will get Sean Murphy 59 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: back from his hip surge. Maybe Murphy could be in 60 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: the DH role, Maybe you rotate him in Baldwin and 61 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: play those guys basically every single day. We'll see Ronald 62 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 1: Dcunya Junior could become a more of a semi regular 63 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:16,599 Speaker 1: DH where you play maybe Eli White in right field 64 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 1: and give Ronald time off off his knees off his 65 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: now twice surgically repaired acls. That's an option. And because 66 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: you lose the switch hitting ability of Jerks and Profar 67 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:32,159 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, Mike Yastremsky, who is very likely 68 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 1: going to be in a platoon role, might have to 69 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: play every day against lefties, and we'll see how it 70 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: all shakes out. There is a chance the Braves could 71 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:44,920 Speaker 1: add somebody in the next couple of days weeks. Who knows. 72 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:46,919 Speaker 1: Maybe by the time you're listening to the show, the 73 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,480 Speaker 1: team will have responded. But there's so little out there 74 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: and it's hard to imagine a trade of any real 75 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: significance going down. And maybe Alex and the team got 76 00:04:57,680 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 1: somewhat of a heads up on this. They probably knew, 77 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:04,839 Speaker 1: and as of recording this about noon Eastern on Tuesday, 78 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,160 Speaker 1: the Braves have not confirmed the suspension just yet, so 79 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: we'll see. I can't imagine that Jeff Passon, who reported 80 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,280 Speaker 1: it the first time, is wrong, but maybe the Braves 81 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: have had a couple of days to work behind the 82 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: scenes to try and add some kind of hitter. Of course, 83 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,600 Speaker 1: Marcelo Zuna just signed two weeks ago, two and a 84 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 1: half weeks ago with the Pittsburgh Pirates, so Ozuna is 85 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: not available. Andrew McCutcheon is still floating out there, and 86 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: there's a handful of other veteran hitters, but nobody could. 87 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 1: There's a reason. If you're a player and you're unemployed 88 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks into spring training, there's a real 89 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: flaw with your game. Maybe the Braves use this money 90 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: to go out and sign one of the available starting 91 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 1: pitchers Zach Lttel, Lucas Giolito are still available. Maybe you 92 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: try to make up for the hole in your lineup 93 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: with another arm. But it sounded like the Braves weren't 94 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:53,480 Speaker 1: all that interested in those two to begin with. So 95 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 1: we'll see. Maybe they pivot, Maybe they make the most 96 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 1: of this fifteen million dollars and say, hey, let's go 97 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 1: try to bolster our rotation, knowing that you've already lost 98 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:06,040 Speaker 1: Spencer Schwallenbach and you've already lost Hirston Waldrip for at 99 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:11,240 Speaker 1: least two months of this season. I gotta say, man, 100 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 1: the Braves have just had one thing after another after 101 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: another after another in the bad news department. And it's funny. 102 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 1: I hadn't seen the news just yet, and my co 103 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:27,839 Speaker 1: host Brad Rowland texted me a bad word, and I 104 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 1: honestly didn't know. What could it possibly be? Was was 105 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:36,360 Speaker 1: Ronald Acuna Junior abducted by aliens? Was? I don't know? 106 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 1: Was Truest Park on fire? Who knows? Man, Nothing would 107 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: surprise me at this point. Now the Braves don't have 108 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 1: Profar for the at least year. Well Jerks and Profar 109 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:51,280 Speaker 1: ever played for the Braves, I hope not. I mean, 110 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:53,559 Speaker 1: there's probably an argument to be made the Braves should 111 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:56,359 Speaker 1: just cut this bum and say goodbye once he serves 112 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:58,799 Speaker 1: out his one hundred and sixty two games suspension. But frankly, 113 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: you know what, if you wait another year, maybe he'll 114 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 1: get a third positive PD test, which would be a 115 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,600 Speaker 1: lifetime ban for Profar. I don't get it, man, There 116 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: was no reason to do this if your Profar, I mean, 117 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: clearly you've been cheating for two years. You had two 118 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: more years of well paid He was gonna make thirty 119 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: million dollars the next two years and he just pissed 120 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: away half of it. And he's cost himself twenty one 121 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 1: million dollars with this ped suspension twice. It's really disappointing. 122 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: What a disaster of a signing. I talked off the top, 123 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 1: what a I mean, what a gigantic loser that Jerkson 124 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: Profar is. This guy is a professional player who knows 125 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 1: cheating is never on the table, it should never be 126 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: an option. And he's done it twice. It's really disappointing. 127 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 1: And now the Braves are left scrambling with what twenty 128 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 1: four days left until opening day against the Kansas City Royals. 129 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: We'll see what they do regardless more bad news. I 130 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: was really hoping the next time we would do a 131 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: show there'd be encouraging news. The Braves have had a 132 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 1: challenging start to the baseball season, just as they did 133 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: last year, and hopefully because there is some more depth, 134 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: at least at the moment there's more depth, they're going 135 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:21,239 Speaker 1: to be able to weather the storm a little bit better. 136 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: But this is a real bummer, all right. That is 137 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:29,600 Speaker 1: going to do it for this mini emergency reaction show 138 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 1: of the podcast. We will have much more in the 139 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: coming days on this. Maybe the Braves make a move, 140 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 1: maybe they make a reaction move to kind of help 141 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 1: put a band aid on this, but honestly, at this point, 142 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 1: it feels like you're putting a band aid on a 143 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:48,040 Speaker 1: bullet hole. We'll see until then. Thank you as always 144 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:50,960 Speaker 1: for checking out the Hammer Territory podcast. We'll be back 145 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: with plenty more coverage in the days to come. Until then, 146 00:08:53,840 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 1: we'll see you Next time, it was