Profar away

We're locking in. WBC is about to kick off, spring training is in full swing, and the Slash Line MLB collection dropped.

Scroll for PEDs, TYASTI, and knuckleballs vs nukes.

Share some thoughts on the Slash Line MLB collection.

— Team TSN

Just as the Braves were trying to steady their roster, Jurickson Profar took another hard left. MLB announced Profar will serve a 162-game suspension for a second PED violation — following an 80-game ban in 2025. Both violations occurred during his time with Atlanta.

Profar signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Braves in the 2024 offseason. Our dear friend, Foolish Bailey, broke down the Profar contract:

He just turned 33. By the time he’s eligible to play again—assuming there’s baseball in 2027—he’ll be 34. That’s a brutal arc.

The baseball reality: Two PED suspensions in two seasons fundamentally change how front offices evaluate you. Even if Profar were fully productive upon return, he’d be 34, coming off back-to-back lost years, with clear baggage attached. There’s a very real possibility Atlanta simply decides to move on. If the roster crunch hits or the optics outweigh the upside, the Braves could decide it’s cleaner to just release the veteran and eat what’s left.

The Braves’ spiral: Injuries to multiple starters. Ronald Acuña Jr. battling durability concerns. Michael Harris’s inconsistencies. A roster once viewed as the gold standard of sustainable contention now feels thinner, and far more fragile. What used to be depth has turned into a lot question marks. Availability is both a skill and an asset. And right now, Atlanta doesn’t have much margin for error.

Where this leaves things: Profar’s career once felt like a late-bloomer redemption story — a former top prospect finally settling into a steady role. Now it feels like a cautionary tale. Baseball gives second chances. Third ones are rare.

It’s spring, and that means one thing: the Talkin’ Yanks crew heads to spring training where Joez takes on Jake in golf, with several rule modifications to give Joez a chance (most importantly, he starts on the green and Jake starts on the tee). This year’s edition brought a brand new element: an official rulebook, enforced according to Jimmy’s whims. And Article IX, Section 10.6 explicitly forbids asking too many questions about the rules.

A battle from the first tee: It didn’t take long for Jake to lodge a formal complaint against Joez for talking during his backswing. Jimmy promptly issued Joez a formal warning, and then immediately rescinded it. In the end, though, Joez’s continued inability to read a green led to Jake taking the first hole.

Redemption: The next new rule was the Drive Redemption Clause, which gave Joez a risk-free chance to beat Jake off the tee and immediately gain a stroke. Swinging off a tee for the first time in life, Joez’s ball naturally found the pond. When he had another chance at Redemption on the next hole, he landed in the drink again.

The final green: As the boys battled back and forth, with Under Armour water bottle putts and Joez finally exercising his right to throw the ball onto the green, they came to the ninth and final hole with Joez holding a one-stroke lead. Would Joez hold on to win his first TYASTI, or would the rule book rule the day in the end? You gotta watch to find out.