Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos held a press conference this morning to discuss the end of the season with reporters. Anthopoulos mentioned that he anticipates the team’s payroll increasing for the upcoming year, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they will be very active in free agency due to existing financial commitments.
“It’s gone up each year that I’ve been here,” Anthopoulos said. “I know it’s not going to go down, I expect it to rise, but to what level, we’ll spend the offseason going through that. I view it opening day to opening day, because in-season things come up. … Is it a bottomless pit? Is it unlimited? Of course not. But every year we’ve set a new Braves high from a payroll standpoint. … We will be going up, I just can’t give you the amount.”
The Braves’ total player salaries for the 2024 season were around $223 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. The estimated luxury tax number was higher due to the structure of the contracts. Anthopoulos confirmed that they narrowly stayed below the $277 million threshold that marks the third tier of penalization. This marks the second consecutive year that the Braves will pay the luxury tax.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, the Braves are prepared to exceed the luxury tax threshold for the third year in a row. This would result in higher penalties for the team. The payroll obligations before accounting for arbitration and other costs already amount to around $211.25 million.
To create some flexibility in their payroll, the Braves could consider trading Jorge Soler, who has a significant salary for the next two seasons. The team might also need to make additions to compensate for potential departures in free agency, particularly in the pitching rotation and at shortstop.
The coaching staff, led by manager Brian Snitker, is expected to remain unchanged for the upcoming season.
