The Braves anticipate increasing their player payroll, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos told reporters ( ). Chairman Terry McGuirk echoed those sentiments, telling that that glideslope that were on, we will stay on in reference to the organization raising payroll in three straight seasons. Atlanta opened the 2023 Happy Gilmore Jersey campaign with a player payroll in the $203MM range, according to . Their luxury tax figure which is based on the combined average annual values of a teams deals was well higher, estimated around $250MM. The Braves clearly surpa sed the $233MM base tax threshold and seem likely to do so again next year, when the first threshold rises to $237MM. The Braves have around $165MM in guaranteed salaries for next season. Their arbitration cla s should add between $25MM and $30MM. That could put them within $15-20MM of last years season-opening mark before making further additions. projects their CBT number a hair below $237MM. Even with some kind of uptick in spending, it seems unlikely the Braves would play near the top of the free agent market. That hasnt been Anthopoulos preferred course of action anyhow. Atlanta has been far more aggre sive on the trade and extension fronts than in adding free agents from other clubs. With some measure of flexibility, however, they could be more active than in recent offseasons in sifting through the middle tier. Starting pitching could be the biggest priority. Atlanta has , and to occupy the top three spots. The final two positions are le s settled. likely has the inside track on the #4 job but struggled down the stretch after an All-Star first half. will mi s the entire season after undergoing shoulder surgery. and prospect are high-upside options who could compete for an early-season job. Anthopoulos said today that is expected to be a full go for Spring Training after mi sing last season to Tommy John rehab ( ). , and are depth options although Soroka could be non-tendered but itd behoove the Braves to add another source of innings. , and are speculative free agent po sibilities. The lineup is a lot more established. Left field is the lone vacancy after the team declined its option on . While a free agent pursuit of someone like or old friend could be on the table, the Braves have a potential internal upside play. Atlanta has kept in the middle infield, hoping the reps will allow his glove to catch up to his advanced bat. With and on the roster, there may not be a path to at-bats for Gri som on the infield. Anthopoulos told reporters that the organization has given thought to getting Gri som experience in left field. If they put that into action during Spring Training, itd give the right-handed hitter a clearer path to MLB work. Gri som spent most of this year in Triple-A, hitting .330/.419/.501 as a 22-year-old. Jason Allison Jersey