Ken Rosenthal talks Braves payroll amid horrid start

When the Braves season ended last year, it was kind of a relief. The 2024 campaign was a consistent kick in the you-know-what with all of the injuries. 2025 was supposed to be a breath of fresh air, and it’s been anything but.

Things immediately took a turn early in the offseason when it was announced that Joe Jimenez would undergo surgery and miss most or all of the 2025 season. The Braves then saw Max Fried, Charlie Morton, and A.J. Minter walk out the door in free agency, three of the most critical cogs to their World Series run a few years back. Making matters even worse, Atlanta chose not to replace any of them with free agents of their own. The only notable acquisition being an outfielder, Jurickson Profar.

Still, when Spring Training arrived, there was palpable excitement that this club could win a World Series. Then, Sean Murphy took a fastball off the ribs, sidelining him for weeks.

The Braves avoided any other injuries, but the season didn’t bring any good news. Atlanta has yet to win a game; Profar was popped for PEDs and suspended for 80 games, making him ineligible for the postseason, and Reynaldo Lopez will undergo surgery to determine the severity of his shoulder injury.

The Braves are 0-6, with Bryce Elder on the bump tonight. Even worse, the lineup looks like it’s picked up right where it left off last season — putrid. Nothing has gone right for the club.

The guys on the roster will have to dig themselves out of this hole, and then Alex Anthopoulos is going to have to work his magic at the trade deadline because, as currently constructed, this club looks closer to missing the playoffs than raising the Commissioner’s Trophy.

Fortunately, it seems Anthopoulos might have a little cash to spend, according to Ken Rosnenthal.

“… the team is now almost $14 million under the luxury-tax threshold, according to Fangraphs. The actual amount of cash available is even higher, according to a source briefed on the club’s situation,” Ken Rosnethal wrote. “And the only cost for exceeding the threshold would be financial; the Braves, by going over a third straight year, would pay a 50 percent tax on every dollar they spent above $241 million. Hardly an oppressive penalty, if the Braves even get there.”

How the Braves went about their offseason was beyond confusing. They had several needs across their pitching staff that went completely ignored, causing many to point the finger at Liberty Media for not giving Alex Anthopoulos the funds needed to field a championship caliber roster.

The Braves were 7th in payroll a season ago, spending nearly $240 million. This year, that number is down to $212 million, ranking 13th. If the Braves really had more money to spend all offseason and didn’t spend it, the pitchforks shouldn’t be pointed at ownership, they should be pointed at Alex Anthopoulos.