ESPN's Jeff Passan questions Braves' offseason spending amid rotation need

Matt Sullivan

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ESPN's Jeff Passan questions Braves' offseason spending amid rotation need image

The Atlanta Braves are trying to rebound from a disappointing 2025 campaign, and to do so, they've made a few nice additions this winter.

Mike Yastrzemski, Ha-Seong Kim, Raisel Iglesias, and Robert Suarez are all now with the Braves. While it's not one of the top free agents, this is still a solid class this winter. But there's a significant hole still left.

ESPN's Jeff Passan, when asked about the starting pitching need for the Braves, questioned whether the Braves would continue adding to their payroll after already increasing it significantly from their previous high mark.

Braves questioned by ESPN's Jeff Passan over spending plans for SP this winter

"But the number of good SP free agent offers the Braves a real opportunity, should they be in a position to spend more," Passan writes. "Here's the thing: Right now, the Braves' payroll is more than $30M higher than their previous tops on Opening Day of $223M."

With such a lofty payroll for the Braves already, Passan questioned, "Are they really going to keep pushing much beyond that?"

Atlanta isn't a small-market team like some other clubs around Major League Baseball, but the Braves also haven't been spending like the top teams in recent years.

The Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and now Alex Anthopolous' former team, the Toronto Blue Jays, are all big spenders.

Will the Braves join them as a top spender this offseason? Passan doesn't seem to think that such a future will come to pass by the wording of his question.

He instead could've expressed a belief that they could spend that if the right player became available at the right price. But, instead, he didn't reveal anything of the sort, just questioning whether they would make such offers with their already lofty payroll.

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There are plenty of great starters available on the market, including Tatsuya Imai, Ranger Suarez, Framber Valdez, and Zac Gallen. There are other smaller names like Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito, and Zack Littell who could be decent options.

But, with all of the free agent starters who could make a big impact, costing a lot of money, the Braves might be adding too much to their previous high payroll in one offseason.

Their highest Opening Day payroll was $223 million, and right now, it's at least $30 million higher. Adding a starter, especially a top-of-the-market one, could raise it by another $20 million or so.

Passan questions whether the Braves would do such a move, implying that the Braves are not likely to spend that big, barring a willingness to spend a lot this winter, which would be a departure from their previous plans in years past.

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Contributing Writer