Bravos will be penny pinching for a while.

I do not see the Ownership forking over the cash needed to do any major improvement of this club. The Owners main concern right now is servicing some of the 400 million of debt they have. It is a business and the owners have the right and obligation to run it as such. The teams with wealthy owners who run their clubs not worrying about money, with some exceptions, have a leg up on the other clubs.


http://jeffschultz.blog.myajc.com/2...rs-and-sense-will-braves-raise-player-budget/

The Braves’ payroll to start this season ranked 19th overall. They now sit 24th overall at $113.7 million, which is below the league average of $150.8 million, according to Spotrac.com.

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In other words, look forward to more losing seasons.

elfiii said:

In other words, look forward to more losing seasons.

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What it looks like to me. It is scary when they start talking about trading younger talent.

Spending money isn't the only way to improve the team. That's the whole mentality behind accumulating tons of assets in the minors. Grind through enough decent prospects, and eventually you'll hit. The analogy I use is that a small/mid-market baseball team has to run more like a football team. They can't break the bank, so they need to become good at identifying and developing their own guys.

The big money = championships narrative in baseball is flawed and ridiculous. It hasn't worked for the Dodgers(yet). It hasn't worked for the Nats. It didn't work for the Yankees. It sort of worked for the Cubs, but only after they blew it all up and were godawful for several years while they built up a crop of their own guys. The "Rich Owner" thing is a broken argument as well, most of the teams that are big spenders right now are in huge markets and their main influx of cash is coming via their TV deals. Unfortunately, the Braves' TV deal is (in)famously bad for them in terms of generating revenue.

Also worth noting, the 2013 Astros were the worst team in baseball history, and also the most profitable. That was four years ago. It can turn around in a big way, relatively quickly. Just got to keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle while the ride is in motion.

I agree with this ^^^. However when you trade away that young stockpiled talent, you are not going to make progress. I would also argue that being willing to spend money was a major deal during the Brave post season win streak of a few years ago.

KyDawg said:

I agree with this ^^^. However when you trade away that young stockpiled talent, you are not going to make progress. I would also argue that being willing to spend money was a major deal during the Brave post season win streak of a few years ago.

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You've got to look at who they're talking about letting go, as well.

How many guys do they need on the left side of the infield? It looks like they're fielding, or near to fielding, solutions at nearly every position there. You've got Freddie locked down. Albies, Dansby and Camargo(recent injury aside), plus a few guys still in the pipe, and whomever you might get in return on a trade.

I agree with you on spending money for the post season, but the timing has to be there.