Horsehide Harry
<B>Mr. Free Trade</B>
This is the point that the trade I proposed earlier with the Giants makes sense. Maybin, Pierzynski, and Jim Johnson for Andrew Susac, Mac Williamson, and Ray Black saves you another $4.24 million.
Suddenly that's almost $7 million you can devote to international signings/overage taxes next July.
I'm not sure it would work that way. Each division within a corporation (and the Braves are corporate owned) usually has a budget - sales, marketing, finance, fleet, etc. If an individual division ends up with a budget surplus they usually find a home for that surplus within the division OR the surplus goes to the bottom line.
I expect that anything saved off of the ML budget will never see the minor league and scouting budget. That's why I think they are saving money to justify cutting CJ loose and eating what is left OR to trade him while eating significant dollars.
I think Maitan is a completely separate issue. I think the Braves have budgeted for this offseason young talent acquisition as part of their long term plan already.
Now, if the Braves were owned by an individual, like Turner or Stienbrener, you could be right because there was one voice ultimately in control.