Most Atlanta Braves fans already knew how savvy Alex Anthopoulos is as a GM in general. However, what they may not have known is just how financially savvy Atlanta's head man was this past season. All year long, we heard of the Braves desire to remain under the $277 million third luxury tax threshold to avoid steeper penalties.
Until recently, we didn't know exactly how close Atlanta came to surpassing that third tax threshold, and as a result seeing their 2025 first round pick drop ten spots in the process. According to the final figures obtained by Major League Baseball, Alex Anthopoulos managed to keep the Braves under that $277 million threshold by just $856k.
Major League Baseball today confirmed the Atlanta Braves stayed under the $277 million third luxury tax bracket threshold. Their first round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft will NOT drop 10 spots.
— Joe Doyle (@JoeDoyleMiLB) December 21, 2024
Atlanta stayed under the threshold by just $856k.
Braves avoid losing draft spots thanks to more excellent work from Alex Anthopoulos
This falls right in line with Anthopoulos' statement about not being deterred from spending because of the added payment penalty for going over the luxury tax. Instead, the real deterrent is the next penalty where the team would lose their draft spots. Because this impacts team building Anthopoulos weighs this penalty much more heavily compared to the actual dollars the team has to dish out.
It's why Anthopoulos was able to pick up Jorge Soler at the trade deadline and take on all of his salary. Making those in-season moves as well as trotting out a competitive baseball team and not reaching those higher luxury tax thresholds is a challenge for every GM in baseball. However, none toed that line better than Anthopoulos in 2024.
It's a credit to his ability to get so many good young players locked up to affordable long-term deals, plus allotting extra money to use in-season when the teams depth is inevitably tested. It's a strong strategy from Anthopoulos, and one he will likely repeat in seasons ahead.
I know Braves fans are clamoring for a significant move from Anthopoulos this offseason, but little pieces of information like this are a huge reminder that we are lucky to have such a savvy baseball mind leading the charge for the organization. If he didn't have your trust already perhaps this financial mastery being added to his resume of great work will be enough for you to remain patient and trust AA.