Liberty Media has received a ton of flack in the past for its lack of spending. But the reality is, payroll has continued to go up ever since they took over. Following a World Series title, the Braves have spent this offseason more than they ever have before, and Braves’ President Terry McGuirk believes the spending is just getting started.
In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, McGuirk states:
We started last year with the 14th highest payroll (of the 30 teams), and it wasn’t too long ago that we were in the low 20s. Our goal — and the philosophy of what we tried to build here — was to get to a top-10 payroll as quickly as we could within the normal growth cycles. And we are there.
This year, we believe we will be a top-10 payroll, and I’d like to march up that list, too. But I’ll take little steps before I can take a few bigger steps. We are not No. 10 in payroll; we probably are going to be No. 8 this year. It hasn’t all settled in yet (with final opening-day roster decisions yet to be made).
Our vision back when we moved here (to Truist Park) was that, as the fans embraced this, as our team began to win, as what we were hoping would happen happened, (it would) give us more economic means to put back into this whole operation.
The economic reality is … that we can compete for a championship every year. That is what our goal is, too. I don’t see anything taking us off this (path) for the foreseeable future.
At this point, I’m well past raising my pitchfork at Liberty Media. They aren’t the best owners in the world and never will be, but they are far from the worst. The amount of money they spent this offseason thoroughly impressed me, and as the hype continues to grow around the Braves, the funds will continue to flow. I see no reason why the Braves can’t become a team with a top-five payroll in the near future.
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