Was the Braves’ decision to deal Kyle Wright motivated by money?

 

 

To this point, the most surprising move of the offseason has been the Braves’ trade of Kyle Wright to the Royals.

Wright, a 21-game winner in 2022 who also gave the Braves one of their most memorable postseason starts in recent memory, battled shoulder issues in 2023 and was eventually shut down for the season. It was then reported that he would require shoulder surgery and would miss the majority, if not all, of 2024. That was a devastating blow to the Braves’ starting pitching depth, but no one expected him to be dealt for a pitcher with a 9.12 ERA in 39 appearances this winter.

I can only think of one explanation for the trade: his shoulder is fully shattered, and the Braves believe it will be nearly impossible for him to be the same pitcher he was a year ago. Maybe we’ll find out in the future, but for now, I still can’t wrap my head around the decision, and it appears Kyle Wright can’t either.

“I was definitely caught off guard, that’s for sure, and wasn’t expecting it,” Wright said, as reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But it is what it is.”

 

 

“I’m experiencing a wide range of emotions at the same time.” Frustrated and depressed. And I think you get enthused about the future once I get off the phone. I think the most important thing is to avoid looking back too much and to focus on the future. But I was really upset and pretty beaten up over it for a while.

I grew up a Braves fan, so getting to wear the Braves uniform meant a lot to me. I’ve made a lot of wonderful friends. (I had) excellent coaches and training personnel, as well as a large number of positive people in the (company). But I think what I was most disappointed about was that I wouldn’t be seeing those people every day anymore.”

Wright may be unavailable in 2024, but he is under contract until 2026 and is only expected to earn $1-2 million in arbitration this year. It’s not like the Braves saved a lot of money by transferring him, but Anthopoulos informed Wright the decision boiled down to dollars and cents.

 

 

“He had a number that he was given from up top, and that’s all he had to work with.” “I knew I wasn’t the only one,” Wright added. “There were a lot of guys who were let go.” The major goal, according to what he told me, was to clear out as much cap space as possible in order to attain that figure. He, too, must do his part to help the team in any way he can. Unfortunately, I was not present. But that’s what it is at times.”

Hearing this from Wright, I think I’m much more perplexed than I was before the trade. Maybe Anthopoulos didn’t want to tell him, “Hey man, your shoulder is ripped to shreds.” We don’t think you’ll ever be the same guy again, so we’re not even going to pay you a million dollars to see this through.’

A few of million dollars will have no bearing on what the Braves do this offseason. They will again exceed the luxury tax threshold, and we know they were one of the most aggressive clubs in pursuing Aaron Nola, who took less money and inked a seven-year, $172 million contract with the Phillies.

There are also numerous reports linking the Braves to Sonny Gray, with some even predicting the Braves will be “in on” Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is expected to command more than $200 million in free agency.

 

 

All indications point to the Braves having plenty of cash on hand, but they refused to pay $1-2 million to see if Kyle Wright could recover from shoulder surgery. That reveals a lot about the severity of the damage.