The Atlanta Braves have been one of the most active teams in the offseason over the last few years. Coming off an NLDS exit and with key players hitting free agency, what might be in store for 2022-23?
The 2022 season for the Atlanta Braves has come to a close. Looking ahead, the Braves have seven free agents that have contributed to the team in a significant manner that could easily walk away in the Winter.
We, as fans, are not insiders; thus, until we receive reports or direct confirmations that the Braves have made a signing or a trade, we can only rely on trends and quotes to speculate what they might do.
One thing is for certain though: the Atlanta Braves will approach the offseason with bringing another World Series trophy to Atlanta as the top priority. Since 2019, the Braves payroll has increased year-over-year, a surefire sign that the club is building towards something.
- On Opening Day 2019, the payroll was sitting at $113 million, 21st in the league overall.
- In 2020, a season that was about 1/3 the length as normal, it was $66 million, which comes out to around $160 million over a normal season.
- By the end of the World Series in 2021, it was sitting at $175 million.
- Currently, after the Morton and Strider extensions, it sits at $200 million, which is the 8th-highest in baseball.
Will the Atlanta Braves increase their payroll again in 2023?
There is no sign that this trend will stop anytime soon. Though Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos is known for his affinity for cost-effective deals, his quotes and the extensions to Michael Harris, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, Austin Riley, and Matt Olson only prove that as long as the Braves are winning, payroll will go up.
The only thing that now stands in the way of the Atlanta Braves opening the 2023 season with a potential top-5 payroll are the few questions that remain in the offseason, none of which are more important than that of Dansby Swanson.