Atlanta Braves Show Willingness to Exceed Luxury Tax Threshold Again
The Atlanta Braves might be more willing to spend up to a certain point after all. Per multiple sources, general manager Alex Anthopoulos is willing to surpass the luxury tax in order to get the right pieces to make the team better.
They’re still being mindful, but it will not be what determines decisions.
For most of the offseason thus far, the narrative has been that the Braves were being strategic in order to stay under the $241 million mark to avoid the luxury tax and reset it.
While they still might not exceed it in the end, AA didn't guarantee it, these comments change how the offseason is perceived. Initially, it was viewed that the luxury tax shifted their priorities in what positions they were going to upgrade and why they restructured the contracts of players already on the team.
But it makes more sense now that the Braves were one of the final teams actively pursuing Willy Adames, who signed a seven-year, $182 million deal with the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.
Now, we know the luxury tax didn’t necessarily stop them, even if this contract would immediately put them over. You have to be willing to spend if you’re in on the stop shortstop on the market.
At a certain point, they had to know when to back out. Even if they are going over the luxury tax, there are a few positions to fill. Going in on a deal that pays $26 million per year might not be the best move. Knowing how to spend your money is just as important as the willingness to spend.
For the record, this is speculation. But when an update like this comes, we have to look at what it means and attempt to pick the brains of those in charge.
This new update can lead to a reasonable conclusion that the Braves will still make some serious moves this offseason. While this was published before the update, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale said it best.
“Come on, you know GM Alex Anthopoulos has some tricks up his sleeve after spending the first month creatively trimming about $38 million in payroll by trading Jorge Soler, letting catcher Travis d’Arnaud leave and restructuring two deals...Keep an eye on Anthopoulos, who pulled off coups last winter by acquiring Chris Sale from the Red Sox and signing Reynaldo Lopez.”
The Braves have a game plan. We’ve seen it in action before, and we’ll see how they put it into action in due time.