Braves 1B Freddie Freeman said if Liberty has the money to spend, hopefully they will "spend it right"GETTY IMAGES
The Braves' season is over after losing to the Dodgers in the NLDS, but their success this year "surpassed all logical forecasts," and now execs at Liberty Media -- which owns the team -- moving forward "need to care, stock price be damned," according to Jeff Schultz of THE ATHLETIC. The season-ending payroll of the Braves’ 25-man roster ($73.5M) was "less than half that" of the Dodgers ($160M). Braves 1B Freddie Freeman said, “If we have the money to spend, hopefully we’ll spend it right.” However, Schultz noted Liberty Media has "shown itself to be far more aggressive in commercial real estate conquests than spending on players." But this is "not a question of whether the Braves have the resources to outbid competing teams," it is a "question of what their priorities are." This winter will tell fans "a lot." The offseason will show what Braves Exec VP & GM Alex Anthopoulos "thinks of individuals and what level of freedom he has to add payroll" (THEATHLETIC.com, 10/8).
ON THE UP & UP: USA TODAY's Dan Wolken writes the Braves organization is a "picture of health, having moved into a sparkling new park last year and emerging from both a painful rebuild and an embarrassing scandal" in which former GM John Coppolella was "banned for life by MLB." Now, the Braves have a "young, winning, inexpensive roster," which gives Anthopoulos a "lot of options to get them closer to a team like the Dodgers" (USATODAY.com, 10/9). In Atlanta, Michael Cunningham writes the Braves "may have more good, young major league talent than any other team" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 10/9). Also in Atlanta, Mark Bradley writes if there is a "message behind this giddy season, it’s that the Braves have gotten good again, and they only figure to get better" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 10/9).
