jpx7
Very Flirtatious, but Doubts What Love Is.
I don't think you can just ignore the long term impact of a playoff appearance could have on the finances/valuation of the team. That stuff matters though not as much as the talent in the pipeline. Braves could look at that the potential future financial gain outweighs the impact of getting 1-2 C+ prospects. If the fanbase is excited about a potential world series team going into 2017 then the possibliities are endless for profits. A playoff birth in 2015 can be the start of that. Its not like they are going to have to give up anything of significance for a relief pitcher.
I think you're both overestimating the likely fiscal gains from a potential playoff berth in 2015 (as, obviously, deciding to "go for it" in June/July assures nothing tangible), and underestimating what some of these veterans may net from desperate teams; but instead of typing anymore myself, I'll simply refer you to this:
Especially Grilli and Johnson. With how those two are pitching we might get a couple of solid prospects for them. Just think if Carpenter and Shreve can get us Man Ban, we might be able to get a similar prospect for either of those guys.