Objectively ranking the top farm systems

[50PoundHead]

Some of the MLB players teams get points for...LOL.

My thoughts as well. The other thing I noticed is that there is still to this day a Billy Beane effect that seems to overrate the dumpster fire that is the Oakland A's.

[Southcack77]

If that is the payroll or higher then great. But I will believe that when I see it. The payroll has been stagnant for almost 2 decades now.

The point is about the Braves paying someone that much on the current payroll level and being good. The Braves are currently paying Kemp and Markakis 30 million plus and are not very good.

Revenues have potentially changed which should move the budget up. the Braves have not had a major revenue boost during Liberty's ownership.

I don't think paying Markakis and Kemp 30 million is the reason the Braves aren't good. For one thing, I'm not sure that the Braves have carried a full payroll the last two years -- I'm pretty sure if they have it has had a lot of dead money or money that a team trying to win would not be caring. For a second, the Braves were relatively good after Kemp came over by record.

Braves are carrying something like a full payroll this year at 105 million or so - still not an ideal balance of salaries - and in my view have a pretty wide range of outcomes. Lost the big one year deals, move the payroll up to 125-130 million and another big ticket might fit, though you have some contracts escalating that will cut into the room. They need their young pitching to start coming along to free payroll.

[Southcack77]

My original premise was always that payroll would go up over the next few years into the ~$150M range, which would not make the Braves the top payroll in baseball by any means but in the neighborhood of top 10.

Right now, they are bottom half of the league.

If the Braves move into a new stadium AND get an improved TV deal (still not great) and the payroll doesn't move into the top half of baseball, then their should be an investigation.

Obviously, if the payroll is $100M or less you can't afford a guy like Machado at any time.

Braves are in the 10th best market so it figures the payroll ought to naturally rest in that range. The stadium and maybe the real estate revenues should help revenues. The TV deal is pretty far off, but getting shorter every year. I'm not sure Atlanta has any leverage there except possibly to extend the deal for less than market value going forward in exchange for pumping up revenues now. But not sure any cable channel is going to be terribly anxious to make decisions based on current market rates right now as the cable thing does seem to be uncertain.