[ArmchairAlex] What could the Braves do with a top-five payroll?
November 18, 2025
[ArmchairAlex] What could the Braves do with a top-five payroll?
16 comments
All those moves are incredibly uninspiring but yes, no moves really matter unless guys like Riley, Ozzie, Harris, and Murphy remember how to play baseball.
Forget to spend it?
You are so good at these. I think the trades are spot on. As long as the team stays moderately healthy, I think we’re set to return to the postseason, but these are the types of moves that shake up the fringes without really disrupting the core.
25 mil for Sonny Gray is an overpay and a poor utilization of funds.
Every year, 5 teams have the highest payrolls in baseball. Every year, at least 4 of them do not win the World Series. Sometimes, it’s 5.
Take from that what you will…
Win the division then get bounced in the first round?
.500 ?
Sunny Gray has been a very good pitcher in his career but I don’t love the idea of trading for a a 35 year old making 35m. He’s the 5th highest paid pitcher in baseball. The Cards could eat some of that money but even then, it feels like an overpay unless they eat 15m.
HSK isn’t opting out of a 1 year player option for 16m just to sign a 1 year deal for 16m with a player option. He opted out because he wants a multi-year contract.
Pagan is cool. Like his stuff. Soto I like a lot less. His fastball is fast but hitters hit .417/.440/.500 against his fastball in 2025. He has much better breaking stuff but without a good fastball, despite good velo, makes him a poor BP pitcher.
Zeferjahn I’ve thought about before because has great stuff but has no idea where it’s going. 13% walk rate, gets barreled a lot, and hitters don’t chase but has fantastic strikeout numbers. If he can figure out location, he could be something and he’s only 27.
Jesus Sanchez isn’t getting playing time over Profar/Acuna/Baldwin/Murphy. Not sure why you want to trade for a 4th OF and get rid of the Braves most consistent starter even if Elder is league average. That’s an overpay for Sanchez.
The Braves will not be in top 5. They just won’t spend it.
The answer starts with: he could extend Ronald Acuna Jr.
I would absolutely hate this offseason and it feels incredibly underwhelming
Take a sperm and and egg from 3 genetically superior men and women in Japan. Place them into a healthy 20 year old women and wait 9 months.
Raise those children to only play baseball pitching and hitting instruction from the age of 2 in Japan away from any social media pitching gurus, analytics, travel ball and modern hitting coaches. Then let them mature in Japanese professional baseball leagues where they see more than just 100mph fastballs and 97 mph sliders. Basically no modern western baseball influence at all, just allow them to become well rounded baseball players.
Then when they turned about 24 years old hand them a blank check tell him to fill in the zeros however they want and then defer all that money till they’re 50 years old.
It’s a 51 year plan that takes time but appears to work.
I dont know if its our Medical staff or what, but we have had 2 years with crazy amount of injuries, last year almost our entire bullpen was injured, then position players also injured. In paper the team looks great and I tell you, look at the past 2 years team roster, its a great team, how many were injured? compare it with the teams in playoffs, how many of their players and pitchers were injured?
I get the critics and all to the management staff but how can you win if half of the team is out? so I think that this is overlook some times.
Traderted Tuesday does have a better ring than Monday
What would the projected win total for this team be? I’d say probably a little over 90.
My wife is Japanese and it kills me to see all the great JP players in LA. It’s made me root for them as my 2nd team
16 comments
All those moves are incredibly uninspiring but yes, no moves really matter unless guys like Riley, Ozzie, Harris, and Murphy remember how to play baseball.
Forget to spend it?
You are so good at these. I think the trades are spot on. As long as the team stays moderately healthy, I think we’re set to return to the postseason, but these are the types of moves that shake up the fringes without really disrupting the core.
25 mil for Sonny Gray is an overpay and a poor utilization of funds.
Every year, 5 teams have the highest payrolls in baseball. Every year, at least 4 of them do not win the World Series. Sometimes, it’s 5.
Take from that what you will…
Win the division then get bounced in the first round?
.500 ?
Sunny Gray has been a very good pitcher in his career but I don’t love the idea of trading for a a 35 year old making 35m. He’s the 5th highest paid pitcher in baseball. The Cards could eat some of that money but even then, it feels like an overpay unless they eat 15m.
HSK isn’t opting out of a 1 year player option for 16m just to sign a 1 year deal for 16m with a player option. He opted out because he wants a multi-year contract.
Pagan is cool. Like his stuff. Soto I like a lot less. His fastball is fast but hitters hit .417/.440/.500 against his fastball in 2025. He has much better breaking stuff but without a good fastball, despite good velo, makes him a poor BP pitcher.
Zeferjahn I’ve thought about before because has great stuff but has no idea where it’s going. 13% walk rate, gets barreled a lot, and hitters don’t chase but has fantastic strikeout numbers. If he can figure out location, he could be something and he’s only 27.
Jesus Sanchez isn’t getting playing time over Profar/Acuna/Baldwin/Murphy. Not sure why you want to trade for a 4th OF and get rid of the Braves most consistent starter even if Elder is league average. That’s an overpay for Sanchez.
The Braves will not be in top 5. They just won’t spend it.
The answer starts with: he could extend Ronald Acuna Jr.
I would absolutely hate this offseason and it feels incredibly underwhelming
Take a sperm and and egg from 3 genetically superior men and women in Japan. Place them into a healthy 20 year old women and wait 9 months.
Raise those children to only play baseball pitching and hitting instruction from the age of 2 in Japan away from any social media pitching gurus, analytics, travel ball and modern hitting coaches. Then let them mature in Japanese professional baseball leagues where they see more than just 100mph fastballs and 97 mph sliders. Basically no modern western baseball influence at all, just allow them to become well rounded baseball players.
Then when they turned about 24 years old hand them a blank check tell him to fill in the zeros however they want and then defer all that money till they’re 50 years old.
It’s a 51 year plan that takes time but appears to work.
I dont know if its our Medical staff or what, but we have had 2 years with crazy amount of injuries, last year almost our entire bullpen was injured, then position players also injured. In paper the team looks great and I tell you, look at the past 2 years team roster, its a great team, how many were injured? compare it with the teams in playoffs, how many of their players and pitchers were injured?
I get the critics and all to the management staff but how can you win if half of the team is out? so I think that this is overlook some times.
Traderted Tuesday does have a better ring than Monday
What would the projected win total for this team be? I’d say probably a little over 90.
My wife is Japanese and it kills me to see all the great JP players in LA. It’s made me root for them as my 2nd team