DOB says that we've basically got nothing to spend

In the comment section of his blog he breaks down that, essentially, the money coming off the books has already been matched by raises and Mac hitting the incentives in his contract, and that the team may be planning on bringing back Moylan at around what he made last season, leaving us with a couple of million $ to spend at most.

5 months ago Lennox 15 comments 0 recs |

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This shouldn't matter

to many Braves fans. FW has never been a big free agent spender, and he isn’t likely to welcome taking on extra salary in a trade. Unless you’re one of 3-4 teams looking to make giant splashes every offseason, or the 3-4 teams who simply refuse to spend any money, you should really be concentrating on building your farm system (i.e. trades, international signings, etc).

I’m surprised that major league payroll is something the majority of fans still focus on these days.

by hoboken_wood on Dec 24, 2011 12:32 PM EST reply actions

It's not a myth that teams with larger payrolls

Win more.

Sure, the playoffs are often a crapshoot, but, more often than not, the teams with the highest winning percentages are the teams that spend more.

Heck, even the Cardinals last year spent more than the Braves, which are in the middle of the pack.

There’s a reason why teams like Oakland, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, etc. aren’t consistently winning…Obviously, not every team who spends a ton wins (see: the Mets), but I rather be a “have” than a “have not”.

Here are the top 10 payrolls from last year: Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, Angels, White Sox, Cubs, Mets, Giants, Twins, and Tigers.

Here are the bottom 10 payrolls from last year: Oakland, Washington, Toronto, Miami, Arizona, Cleveland, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, and Kansas City. (Miami spent a ton this off-season, and will likely be replaced by Houston on the list.)

While teams like Tampa Bay, Arizona, and Cleveland were decent last year, it will be hard for them to stay competitive long term. If you had to choose a champion from either list, the teams in the top 10 better…

Discounting the significance of payroll is something fans of non-spenders do to make themselves feel better…

GATA!

by Jman781 on Dec 24, 2011 12:55 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

This is very true

For teams that don’t spend money, a lot of luck and aligning of the stars must occur for consistent winning seasons. That’s not to say that it can’t happen and that there aren’t exceptions. Every year, there are a couple of teams that get in despite low payrolls.

But unless the Braves start spending more, they will never become a consistent winner like they were in the 90s. Obviously, we can’t set the bar that high, but we can’t expect to be at the top of the division from year to year unless the payroll goes higher.

Whereas people in the South are all ignorant, uneducated rednecks, everyone in Philadelphia is very sophisticated and exceedingly intelligent. It is not known exactly how such extraordinary genes came together in this one location.
-- Unknown

by ryantex on Dec 25, 2011 7:48 AM EST up reply actions

i think we can expect that

maybe not to actually win the division every year, but to be a contender every season… I think Wren is doing a tremendous job trying to balance prospects and stars. I think it can be done. I htink there is no reason we couldn’t put together a consistently winning team with a middle/upper tier spending limit.

by willlinn on Dec 26, 2011 1:58 AM EST up reply actions

It’s not about having lots of payroll or not, it’s about people here and elsewhere having figured the Braves had anywhere from $5 – $12 MM or so of payroll left to add for next season, and thinking that we had the financial flexibility to add a Willingham or Beltran even while keeping someone like Prado in a bench role.

As for Wren not being the type to take money on in FA or trades, McLouth, Lowe, Vasquez, KK, Uggla, et cetera show that he’s more than willing to throw around money when he has it.

Fans focus on payroll because it determines what a team can do to improve themselves during the off season.

I’m not particularly surprised that we don’t have money to spend, not after the way our FO has been acting so far this off season while most of the Prado/JJ trade rumors have come off sounding more like salary dumps/picking up a cheap CF option for next season rather than a move to improve our chances this season.

Q: If not us, who? If not now, when? A: The Batman. And "when you least expect it."

by Lennox on Dec 24, 2011 6:50 PM EST up reply actions

Wow

So basically, he’s saying that we had to trade Lowe or we’d have been over budget for next year. How stupid does that deal look now?

We need new owners. This is freaking depressing. A year after missing the playoffs in dramatic fashion, it’s beyond sad that the only moves we can make are moves to reduce the budget. Guess it doesn’t help that attendance was down last year, I guess.

I’m curious to know just what McCann is making that’s eating up the $8 million or so that I concluded they had.

Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.

by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT

by Bronn on Dec 25, 2011 12:15 PM EST reply actions

Well, he doesn’t show all his work, he says that Mac gets an extra $3 MM in awards incentives added on that he’s earned. Combined with raises for Uggla, Bourn, JJ, Prado, and EOF and it takes up most of what was freed up.

He says that we probably can’t add someone making $5 MM or more a year without a move, so he’s probably got us at around $3-4 MM to spend.

Q: If not us, who? If not now, when? A: The Batman. And "when you least expect it."

by Lennox on Dec 25, 2011 2:55 PM EST up reply actions

The sad thing is that after one of the worst collapses in decades, we essentially make no changes. I don’t really know who to blame, but I don’t really want to blame FW. I’m sure he would love to stack the team.

I guess I’m living in Fantasyland, but I wish Liberty Media would get pissed off after last year and want to open the bank account just a little. Obviously it’s not my money, but I’m just sayin.

by ryantex on Dec 25, 2011 4:39 PM EST up reply actions

If they want to increase attendance,

They need to drop the admission price, and get the team back on national television. A lot of Braves fans live outside Georgia, and it’s too expensive to make more than a couple of trips to ATL during the season. I believe they could actually increase profit with a slight drop in ticket prices. I’m also in the group that believes Liberty Media has got to go after this season.

by rxadam on Dec 25, 2011 4:59 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

i hear you there on national tv..

it might be skipped by improving mlb tv options..

by willlinn on Dec 26, 2011 2:00 AM EST up reply actions

couldn't

agree more with you man. Honestly, Atlanta (the city) sucks to visit because of the traffic mostly. I did make the 9 hr trip and I’m not sure if I’d do it again in the middle of the summer stuffed into the lower seating

"They've always provided me incentive to try to make left turns at first base instead of right," Jones said of the New York crowds

by jhartusaf on Dec 29, 2011 12:33 AM EST up reply actions

honestly, I don't think we need to do much

If Hudson turns in another year like last year, Hanson pitches a full season, Beachy pitches like the first 3/4 of last year for the whole year, if JJ has a good first half, Minor has a decent rookie year, and Teheran comes in with some electricity half way through the season… we have a rotation that can lead us to the playoffs.

With Vizcaino said to be in the pen with Medlen and OVentbrel, we are going to heva the best pen in baseball.

With a full year of Bourn, a rebound year by Prado, good production from chipper and prado to replace him, a full year of mccann, a full year of uggla, an improved freeman, a rebounding heyward…honestly, I think we should kill it next year. Just kill it as we are. We don’t need a FA to steal our home grown thunder

by willlinn on Dec 26, 2011 2:05 AM EST up reply actions