Where does the Braves payroll rank going into 2026?

If you polled a group of fans on social media, a large portion would likely describe the Atlanta Braves as a cheap organization, especially after this past year. The Braves essentially sat on their hands for five months last offseason, watching everyone around them get better while they did next to nothing, then proceeded to turn in one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.

However, that “cheap” narrative doesn’t hold up under even the slightest bit of scrutiny. Even after an offseason in which the Braves made minimal additions, their payroll still ranked ninth in all of baseball at $217 million, according to Spotrac. In 2024, they ranked seventh at $238 million, and in 2023, they ranked tenth at $206 million.

The Braves have boasted a top-10 payroll in every season dating back to the shortened 2020 campaign — hardly the mark of a stingy organization. Still, Atlanta has a real opportunity to crush that narrative once and for all this offseason.

Because nearly the entire roster is locked into escalating contracts that grow more expensive each year, the Braves enter the offseason with $197 million already committed to their 2026 payroll. That’s the third-highest total in baseball, trailing only the Dodgers ($247 million) and Mets ($211 million).

If the Braves were truly “cheap,” that figure alone would leave them with almost no flexibility to make significant upgrades this winter — despite glaring needs at shortstop, in the rotation, bullpen, and outfield. No matter how creative Alex Anthopoulos gets, it’s going to be difficult to transform this roster into a championship contender without spending at least another $40–50 million, which would break the franchise record for the highest payroll in a single season.

A lot of questions about the Braves’ approach will be answered in the coming months. Were Anthopoulos’ hands tied last offseason, or did he see little value in the bloated free-agent contracts being handed out and believe the roster was already good enough to compete for a World Series? I tend to believe it’s the latter. But another quiet offseason, with so many holes to fill, would not be a great look for ownership — and would only fuel the narrative that’s been building for years.