House That Hank Built
Fansided

Atlanta Braves and the 2019 payroll outlook – Bowman weighs in

By Alan Carpenter

PHOENIX, AZ - Justin Upton #8 and his brother BJ Upton #2 of the Atlanta Braves - from a time in which the team 'spent the money'. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - Justin Upton #8 and his brother BJ Upton #2 of the Atlanta Braves - from a time in which the team 'spent the money'. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
PHOENIX, AZ – Justin Upton #8 and his brother BJ Upton #2 of the Atlanta Braves – from a time in which the team ‘spent the money’. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – Justin Upton #8 and his brother BJ Upton #2 of the Atlanta Braves – from a time in which the team ‘spent the money’. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

I had intended to wade in to this topic from another direction, but our friend Dayton has provided the perfect vehicle from which to launch this discussion.

It’s an Atlanta Braves mailbag post from MLB.com beat writer Mark Bowman, and he’s definitely got an item of interest here since his take doesn’t match up with expectations.

Let’s dive in:

Lots to unpack here…

I’ll take the easy part first:  Dayton’s response to the answer received from Bowman is correct… to a point.  The Braves did make a big show about generating revenue from Battery Atlanta and the year-round experience they hoped to create, and the stated purpose was to build the payroll along with building the new stadium, its local amenities, and the team:

"“Really, as far out into the future as I can see, I see us raising payroll every year,” Braves chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Yes, part of that thought comes from the optimism and the lack of uncertainty that the new world brings to us.”  — Terry McGuirk, Feb 2014"

So far, those expectations have not matched up with reality – and were that to remain so, then he (and the rest of us) would have every right to complain.

We chronicled at least one reason for this at the beginning of March:  that the massive spending that Liberty Media (via the Braves Group) undertook in order to create Battery Atlanta and SunTrust Park ran them afoul of MLB regulations for debt-service management.

(yes – Cobb County committed a bounty of their own, but it should be well understood fthat the Braves’ own direct investment is roughly double that of the taxpayers, and it’s that specific investment that is the topic for today)

Indeed, Guirk has pumped the brakes on the payroll issue in recent conversation with reporters in which he was asked about that specific question, though he did reiterate his prior promise:

"He cited the increased costs associated with the new stadium complex, as well as the economies of a young roster, and vowed that higher payrolls will come in future seasons.  … “Just running this stadium is much, much more expensive. … At the end of the day, there’s not an awful lot more profitability at this point in time as we work through some of the debt repayment and figuring out what it costs to run this more expensive operation. That being said, it will (become) more profitable.”  — Terry McGuirk, March 2018, emphasis added."

Home/Braves News