Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos provided Braves Country confidence this offseason that the team’s payroll could increase. But according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, that increase, if there is one, will be small.
Bowman wrote on Jan. 23 that one source “suggested” to him that the Braves have about $33 million they could still spend this offseason. That gives the team enough wiggle room for 1-2 impactful free agent signings or trades.
That report gels with The Athletic’s David O’Brien tweet on Jan. 22 where he argued he still expects a move or two for the Braves before the team begins Spring Training in February.
According to FanGraphs’ RosterResource, the Braves possess an estimated 2025 payroll of $201 million as of Jan. 23. With an additional $33 million spent, they will have a payroll of $2 million more than last season.
FanGraphs’ RosterResource reported Atlanta’s final 2024 payroll as $232 million.
That’s not really the increase Braves Country was hoping for this offseason. But Anthopoulos may have inadvertently set expectations too high for Braves fans right after the team’s playoff exit.
“It’s gone up each year that I’ve been here,” Anthopoulos told reporters on Oct. 4. “I know it’s not going to go down, I expect it to rise, but to what level, we’ll spend the offseason going through that. I view it opening day to opening day, because in-season things come up. … Is it a bottomless pit? Is it unlimited? Of course not. But every year we’ve set a new Braves high from a payroll standpoint. … We will be going up, I just can’t give you the amount.”
With Bowman’s report, though, Braves fans have a much better idea of the amount. Undoubtably, it will leave Atlanta fans at least slightly disappointed.
But it’s also not super surprising either based on how the team’s offseason has gone. The Braves have only shed salary, not spent money, with their moves this winter.
There are still a few quality free agents available. But at this point, it might be a more prudent move not to spend all of the $33 million still remaining in their pre-Opening Day budget. Bowman implied that as a possibility and argued the last thing any MLB team should do is spend for the sake of spending.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
