It should come as no surprise after a World Series run, but Alex Anthopoulos has already confirmed that payroll will be higher in 2022. The question is, by how much? According to Spotrac, last year’s payroll was set right at $150 million, which was the highest number in franchise history — up from $143 million in 2019, the last full season played.
As much flack as we give Liberty Media, and I’m not here to sing their praises, payroll has gone up each season since they’ve owned the team. Now, with so much extra revenue coming in from an unforgettable playoff run, it’s fair to expect even more of a raise this time around. Also, if you remember back around the trade deadline, Alex Anthopoulos said they gave him the green light financially to go after whoever he wanted, which is a big reason why the Braves were able to flip the switch and win the World Series.
So, with all that in mind, I think we can expect a $10 million increase to payroll at the very least, which would put it at $160 million. However, I wouldn’t be shocked if it were significantly higher than that, closer to $170 million. Now, that doesn’t mean Alex Anthopoulos is going to spend all of that in free agency. A fair Opening Day payroll expectation might be $155-160 million, because he’s certainly going to want to have a little extra cash in the bank at the trade deadline, where he was able to work his magic this past season.
You must log in to post a comment.