Atlanta Braves fans have struggled to trust the front office since being told ahead of the 2025 season that the team would have "dry powder" to work with. This gave the impression that the team would have no issue spending money. Unfortunately, that was not the case. As much as they'd like to say the CBT tax penalty wasn't a factor, it clearly impeded them from fulfilling their promise.
So, hearing Braves chairman Terry McGuirk explain on Wednesday that he has aspirations for the organization to break the top five in total payroll would rightfully have fans skeptical. Atlanta remained in the top 10 in total payroll last season. According to Spotrac, they were ninth with a payroll of $217 million in 2025.
Mike Mazzeo of Sports Business Journal shared that McGuirk expects the Braves to be active in the free agency and trade markets. Fans need this to be true after a disappointing offseason ahead of last season.
Braves chairman Terry McGuirk claims goal is to be top 5 payroll in all of MLB
Atlanta continues to collect revenue from their mixed developments, which generate over $100 million per year. And despite attendance dropping slightly in 2025, Atlanta saw a 4% increase through Q3 for baseball event revenue.
All of this just proves the Braves have money to work with. Chuck Oliver and Matt Chernoff spoke about this a bit on 680 The Fan. Oliver pointed out that he understands fans believing Atlanta will spend money when they see it.
Also mentioned was that the Blue Jays owned the fifth-highest payroll last season at $255 million. Atlanta was about $38 million away from that mark, so they have some work to do. As it stands right now, with no additional money spent, the Braves have the third-highest total payroll at $197 million.
This would mean the Braves would be open to spending around $60 million or more on free agents this offseason. Chernoff brought up that this could be enough for the team to sign Bo Bichette and Kyle Schwarber. That helps put into perspective just how impactful this offseason could be.
There's no reason to fear going over the CBT this season, as the penalty was reset. Atlanta has a lot of things to address, and fans need to see them keep their word. Hopefully, this is an offseason to remember.