The Braves enter Spring Training with a luxury tax payroll around $230MM, according to the RosterResource calculations. That puts them about $11MM shy of the base threshold. Atlanta has paid the tax in two straight seasons, pushing their spending to $276MM by the end of last year.
That seemingly indicates that the Braves have room to add to their payroll. Chairman Terry McGuirk confirmed as much to Evan Drellich of The Athletic. “We have crossed the competitive balance tax each of the last two years. It’s possible we could do it again this year,” McGuirk told Drellich. He added that the team “(has) some dry powder” to add spending and implied that Atlanta could make a move in free agency this spring. McGuirk noted that the Braves waited until the middle of March before bringing back Adam Duvall on a $3MM deal last year.
Atlanta has had a quiet offseason. Their only free agent move of significance was the signing of Jurickson Profar on a three-year, $42MM contract. Their remaining free agent pickups were split deals. Their biggest trade was to offload the final two years on Jorge Soler’s contract to the Angels for no return. They acquired Griffin Canning, then non-tendered him. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said at the Winter Meetings that the Braves were willing to exceed the tax threshold. Perhaps that’d have happened if a failed physical hadn’t scuttled their reported five-year agreement with Jeff Hoffman, though it’s possible they wouldn’t have subsequently signed Profar if the Hoffman deal had been finalized.
The Braves seem unlikely to add $11MM+ to their tax ledger before Opening Day. There are only a few free agents who are sure to sign major league deals. A one-year deal for David Robertson, Jose Quintana or Kyle Gibson could still approach eight-figures, but most remaining free agents are unsigned because their markets haven’t materialized the way they’d hoped.
Anthopoulos has indicated that any rotation pickups would need to be marked improvements on Ian Anderson and/or Grant Holmes, who are out of minor league options and are vying for back-end jobs. Robertson would be an upgrade for any team’s bullpen. Atlanta has a few questionable spots in the middle innings. Their relief group is anchored by a strong four of Raisel Iglesias, Aaron Bummer, Pierce Johnson and Dylan Lee, however.
A team’s luxury tax number isn’t calculated until the end of the season. The Braves hope to add to the roster midseason. If they added a few million dollars to their CBT payroll with a Spring Training free agent pickup, a midseason trade or two could push them past $241MM. Their current $230MM calculation is an unofficial estimate, so it’s possible that number is off a couple million dollars in either direction.
Clubs are generally hesitant about narrowly exceeding the luxury tax threshold. Teams pay escalating penalties for going beyond the marker in consecutive seasons. Staying underneath $241MM would allow the Braves to reset their status rather than pushing them to third-time payors, which comes with the top tax rates. The tax is only on the overages, so they’d have a minimal tax bill if they only exceed the threshold by a few million dollars, but the repeat penalties could limit their financial flexibility in future offseasons. They’ll need to weigh that against the benefits of short-term upgrades as they vie with the Phillies and Mets atop the NL East in 2025.
Kyle Gibson may not be a bad option in the middle/backend of the Braves rotation
Better than Quintana?
Six of one. Half a dozen of the other. Quintana is the better pitcher. Gibson has been healthier. They are both 36-37. So it’s really a pick um.
Because of their win/loss records? Yikes.
36-37 years old brother. Not win/loss. New analytics or not if a guy wins 36 or 37 games in a season I want him?!!!
If they wanted a pitcher why not Heaney Perez at 5m? Maybe they can go cheaper and might just to take advantage of market but looks like they like what they have.
need another lefty beside sale everyone else is a righty. I have a sinking feeling patrick corbin will be a brave.
Why do they need another lefty starter?
There’s a better chance they sign Queen Victoria.
I would argue that Kyle Gibson is a clear upgrade over Ian Anderson & Grant Holmes
I would argue that any schlub off the street with an arm is a clear upgrade over Anderson.
Ian Anderson has been hurt, seem to remember he was lights out when he first came up.
he was healthy at the end of last season and had a full healthy offseason. hes going to get every oppourtunity this spring.
Holmes had a very good year at minimum wage. I’d start him and look to spend elsewhere.
But how is Gibson’s flute playing?
I heard he has an aqualung. How can he pitch with that?
In other words, nothing will be done
@Trade: Nothing that pushes them over the luxury tax line should be done. Free agency is strong this coming off season. Perfect time for the Braves to re-set their luxury tax status and get their over abundance of AAA starters some ML time in 2025. If necessary, they can spend another $10M at the deadline w/out going over the tax this year.
@NashvilleJeff
We also have to remember the Braves have a couple contracts coming up that might need to be addressed. I mean everyone knows Albies contract was a steal. He has 2 club options after this year, which will certainly be picked up at 7m each. However, do the Braves reset the tax and then be able to extend Albies next winter? I’m sure they want to see a healthy Acuna first, but he could be in the same boat next winter. Especially if him and Albies want to remain Braves and are both willing to take another team friendly contract. Both have proven to be elite players, but both have had significant injuries also.
Extend Albies? No thanks. I guess by todays standards he is underpaid, however based on his ability to hit, he is not.
Nothing says extend a player long term then a guy with a .700 OPS in 2 out of the last three seasons and is always injured.
Braves will play out Albies deal through ’27 and let him walk in ’28. He’ll get his $20m AAV somewhere else ..AA won’t give it to him. Neither would I.
@Trade Acuna
Why do you care, you’re not a Braves fan.
This is s a Distraction. The Real Shift Comes Later.
McGuirk’s comments aren’t about this year’s budget. They are about laying the groundwork for financial constraints in future seasons. The Braves’ front office knows that a sustained, high-spending model isn’t guaranteed, and this is how they start controlling the narrative before fans notice the shift.
You understand they have an essentially set payroll well into the 2030s?
@Smacky
I get what you’re saying—Atlanta has a good portion of its payroll set for years, which gives them stability. But having long-term deals in place doesn’t mean they’ll keep increasing spending or operate without constraints. Just because they’ve extended their core doesn’t mean they’re immune to financial decisions down the road.
The real concern isn’t about whether the Braves will have a competitive payroll in 2025—it’s about how they manage future spending given their current commitments. They still have arbitration raises coming, decisions to make on guys like Fried, and bullpen arms that won’t be cheap to retain. Locking in key players early is smart, but it also limits how much financial flexibility they’ll have when new needs emerge.
McGuirk’s comments sound reassuring now, but they’re also laying the groundwork for a shift in how the team frames its spending. The Braves have been aggressive in locking up players early, but history tells us that once teams stabilize their core, they often pull back on future spending rather than ramping it up indefinitely. The Cubs and Astros followed this exact pattern, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Braves do something similar in the next few years.
The only decision to make on Fried is how to approach him as hitters when they play the Yankees
Somebody tell Smacky the Braves only have 2 players (Riley, Olson) signed into the early 30’s. I’d do it, but he blocked me for correcting some of his other “untruths.”
Atlanta has a great large fan base. They aren’t NY LA but they can easily go up to the tax. Can go over it if need be. There won’t be any financial restraints until they can no longer win. This statement is 100 percent about this season. Their team is set from all the team friendly extensions. When you have a chance to dip under and reset the tax you take it.
@NashvilleJeff
Yeah, Riley and Olson are the only guys signed deep into the 2030s, but the bigger picture is that the Braves have so much of their core locked up into the late 2020s that it functions like a long-term payroll commitment. Just because most of their key contracts end in 2028 or 2029 doesn’t mean they’re operating with a clean slate financially.
The reason McGuirk is talking about “dry powder” isn’t because they’re about to go on a spending spree—it’s because they want to control expectations before they actually have to. If their payroll was truly open-ended, he wouldn’t need to make these kinds of statements. This is about setting the stage for future cost control while making it sound like everything is still flexible.
No, it’s not. Typing a manifesto twice doesn’t make it true. You have no clue what they will or will not do.
Harris is also under team control through 2032. Murphy 2029…Strider 2029… Schwellenbach 2030…pretty good core going forward. Acuna 2028.
@NashvilleJeff and not only that but the Braves are the poster child for the trend of current teams hiding their true earnings. All the money make on the businesses that surround Truist don’t need to be declared as baseball related revenue. The Braves are doing very well and can afford to spend.
Trade for Dylan caese. Ask Sale if they should sign Quintana. He was only ok after sale was back starting for the Sox, but that was years ago.
Maybe should have kept Soler?
Dumping his salary on Angels was one of AA best moves. Why he’s one of the best. The restraint it must have took him to keep from smiling and laughing and cheering until trade was done is truly incredible.
Trading for him last year was a desperate move. Otherwise why have 2 dh only players? There’s no reason to.
Trading for him was one of his dumbest moves. So it washes out and he gets no credit for getting out of his mistake.
No way they were keeping Soler. The only place he would play would be the outfield and his defence was atrocious.
Snorting dry powder
Is “dry powder” something only a Boomer would say?
@Reynaldo’s
What’s a “boomer”? The only ‘boomer’ I know is when Jorge Soler hit Garcia out of Daikin park into Crawford St. Is that what a boomer is?
Yeah I didn’t get that reference either.
“Keep your powder dry” is something the mountain men of the 1820s would say. When your only weapon was a muzzle loading rifle, if your powder got wet, you were screwed.
I’d have thought it was obvious, but I guess not all of us are 200 years old.
Or dumb
I immediately thought of the pimp in the movie How High slapping his women with baby powder…I’m pretty sure that’s what he meant lol
very common financial advisor speak. So…yeah. Pretty much boomers. Although rise and grind bros use it too.
It takes dry powder to fire a gun. Especially when muzzle loaders were used. So he’s saying his powder is dry he’s ready to pull the trigger.
Exactly. I just answered that in a reply above, and then saw your comment.
He’s probably saying the RSN fiasco all dried up their powder.
Made me google what dry powder meant. Next time he could be a normal person and just say they have some money to spend during the season.
He has Google stock so he wanted you to use it!
They need to spend a little money on a reserve infielder in case Nacho’s absence is extended.
Nacho wasnt going to start the year in ATL anyways, he needs to be playing every day, and he dosent really have a spot to play in the majors. All the IF spots are pretty much locked up for another 2 years. They have nick allen, luke williams and christian cairo on the 40 man all can play various spots in the. Not great bench depth at all, but not much laying around the league at this point either.
Absolutely no way that Atlanta should go over the competitive balance tax threshold UNLESS it is to get a player who is clearly an upgrade.
For the moment I am content to see them giving the opportunities to the cheaper/unproven guys in the hope that one of them steps up substantially. If one of them doesn’t, then make a move.
What does in holy Jehova does this nonsense even mean
Is he offering a kilo of the white stuff? Is that what we’re saying
Jimmy: Just like gun powder, you also want to keep the white stuff dry.
I wish we could just CEASE all of these talks and get a deal done!!!
Per The Athletics article and Braves Chairman McGuirk quotes:
2024 Revenues: $663M (up 3%)
2024 Revenues: $641M
’24 broadcasting revenues: $166M (up 5%)
’24 Adjusted OIBDA (operating income before depreciation and amortization): $40M profit
’23 Adjusted OIBDA: $38M profit
’24 Payroll: $276M
’25 Payroll: $235M
’25 Profit: ???
MLBPA’s Tony Clark: “And that doesn’t account for other revenue, never mind that their overall franchise value has gone up over $900 million in just three years.”
Clark knows that equity value appreciation is not the same as revenue. Sure, you can borrow against your enterprise value, but there are strict MLB debt covenant rules.
Keeping one’s powder dry is still an extremely common English idiom, even in 2025. If you don’t understand it, it’s on you. Look it up. Don’t be lazy and call people boomers because you can’t take the two seconds to look it up.
But they added The Outfield Market….
The article mentions two guys that this late into the offseason (now spring) should be dirt cheap to sign assuming they want to continue to play baseball no matter what price is on the table. To me Robertson is an absolute must. Idk what he would sign for, 10 mil last year but I’d be doing everything I could to see if he’d accept 5 mil or less. Then Gibby is in the same boat. 5 mil better than nothing? I can’t imagine the open market is lining up for his services …