As the offseason has dragged on, more and more fans and outside observers have begun to question the Atlanta Braves' strategy of doing, well, not much of anything. We know that they were close to signing Jeff Hoffman before his physical torpedoed that deal and they were at least somewhat involved in Willy Adames' market and in trade talks to land Garrett Crochet.
However, the Braves have nothing to show for their efforts thus far and fans are understandably impatient. Yes, Atlanta is going to have a strong roster either way heading into 2025, but doing nothing after another early playoff exit doesn't feel great especially if the rumors are true that the Braves could be looking to reset their luxury tax penalties.
Fortunately, Braves insider Mark Bowman had a very interesting nugget on the Braves' budget this offseason that should, at least for the moment, put fans at ease.
Episode 140 - Resetting the Luxury Tax, Nacho Alvarez, and Minor League Depth
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Braves insider Mark Bowman reveals how much Atlanta can spend this offseason and it is not bad news
According to Bowman, a source in the know suggested that the Braves have around $33 million they can spend this offseason in terms of 2025 payroll. While not a crazy amount of money by any stretch especially when compared to what the Dodgers and Mets have been up to, that is a decent amount of space to work with and that number also indicates that the luxury tax threshold isn't a hard limit.
Bowman went on to talk about some of the guys that have been on the Braves' radar previously like Hoffman and Nathan Eovaldi as well as some potential options going forward including free agent Jurickson Profar and potential trade target Jordan Montgomery.
However, he was also very clear and careful to say that Atlanta isn't just going to spend just to spend. Most of their needs are very short-term and they aren't going to throw a multi-year deal that they aren't in love with just do something. The right situation has to present itself and that hasn't happened yet and there is certainly some wisdom to using their payroll space to make moves at the trade deadline where more options they like could be available.
That may not be the answer that Braves fans were hoping for the fanbase is rabid just looking for some action. It should at least make them feel a little bit better than lack of cash to spend isn't going to be the likely hangup in a prospective deal.