Atlanta Braves chairman Terry McGuirk is catching heat from fans after comments made on an investor call this week painted the team’s quiet trade deadline as more of a market problem than a money problem.
According to McGuirk, the Braves — despite sitting well out of a playoff spot — could have spent at the deadline. The issue, he said, was that any investment had to either push the team toward the playoffs in 2025 or “help us dramatically in ’26.”
“Our limited activity during that period sort of reflected the inability of the market to meet those two requirements,” McGuirk told investors, per The Athletic’s Evan Drellich.
Braves Fans Aren’t Buying It
The statement was meant to calm Wall Street types, but Braves fans see it differently — and many aren’t buying the idea that nobody available could’ve helped beyond this season.
After all, high-end relievers like Jhoan Duran and Mason Miller were moved at the deadline — and Atlanta’s bullpen, already battered by injuries, looks dangerously thin heading into 2026.
Critics point out that McGuirk’s corporate-speak dodges the obvious: the Braves’ front office simply chose to stand pat. A more transparent answer — something like “we made a baseball decision, not a financial one, and couldn’t finalize a deal that made sense” — would have landed better with fans who’ve seen this ownership group accused in the past of prioritizing profit over postseason runs.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. McGuirk did hint at bigger spending ahead, telling investors he sees Atlanta’s payroll continuing to rank inside MLB’s top 10 and “maybe move up that ladder” in 2026. Of course, Braves fans have heard versions of that promise before — and many say they’ll believe it when they see it.
For now, the Atlanta Braves will finish out the season with the roster they have, banking on a healthy rotation next spring and an aggressive winter to get them back in contention. But if this trade deadline taught fans anything, it’s that the front office still has work to do convincing them they’re all-in.
