This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ATLANTA — The offseason’s first week certainly wasn’t boring.
Walt Weiss entered last weekend wondering if there might be room for him on another team’s coaching staff. He got the call he had long awaited on Monday and spent Tuesday creating reason to think the Braves definitely made the right choice by making him their manager.
When I posted the story on X, my message started with “Weiss’ energetic responses … .” Some fans chose to respond by saying they thought he sounded monotone. The energy I sensed came via the messages he delivered.
“There was no doubt in my mind I was the best person for this job,” Weiss said. “I was the best fit for this job, and it has nothing to do with who may or may not have interviewed here. It has nothing to do with who the other candidates may or may not have been. It’s just that I know this team like the back of my hand.”
That’s a man who believes in himself with genuine confidence. And if you want to know what kind of fire Weiss can bring when necessary, you might want to ask Josh Donaldson or many of the former shortstop’s former teammates.
In 2019, Donaldson — who had dealt with left calf injuries the season prior — was sulking because the Braves were still protecting his calf by giving him days off during the first couple months of the season. Weiss — then Atlanta’s bench coach — tried to playfully defuse the situation by messing around with the 2015 American League MVP in the Giants’ clubhouse. When Donaldson got mad, Weiss put him in a bear hug and immediately defused the situation without any further incident.
Weiss’ strong leadership skills were a product of spending the first six seasons of his MLB career playing for one Hall of Fame manager (Tony La Russa) and his final three seasons playing for another (Bobby Cox). He played for four different pennant winners (1988-90 with the A’s, and ‘99 with the Braves) and still has a tremendous will to win.
Legend has it that while coaching youth football in Denver a couple decades ago, Weiss had one of his player’s parents get video footage of an opposing team for scouting purposes.
Or maybe it’s just best to remind Braves fans of the gamer Weiss was when he made one of the most memorable plays in franchise history in Game 3 of the 1999 National League Division Series in Houston. It never gets old watching that game-saving 10th-inning stop with the bases loaded.
Now that he’s determined Brian Snitker’s replacement, Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos needs to give Weiss the strongest roster possible. His attempt will be made easier if Atlanta does indeed end up with a top-five payroll. Braves chairman Terry McGuirk stated this as a wish when he spoke to investors during a Braves Holdings LLC earnings call this week.
Saying this one day and then declining the options of two key relievers (Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley) might seem contradictory. But it seems like the Braves are just trying to better allocate the combined $12.5 million they would have owed the two relievers in 2026.
Yes, they now will need to find two pitchers to fill those bullpen spots. But it’s easier to find comparable relievers at a cheaper price than it is to attempt to find comparable value with more economical options when it comes to starting pitchers and position players.
What would it mean for the Braves to be a top-five payroll in 2026? Well, the luxury tax payroll sits around $185-190 million (depending on total arbitration costs). The Blue Jays had the fifth-highest payroll in 2025 at $239.6 million. That figure would still be under the first luxury tax threshold which is $244 million for 2026.
Having reset their luxury tax in 2025, the Braves could exceed that first threshold again, like they did in ‘23 and ‘24. But for now, let’s just say Atlanta could have anywhere between $50-55 million to spend while attempting to find a shortstop, a starting pitcher and possibly another outfielder to compensate for what had been projected from Marcell Ozuna before his production declined this year.
And yes, there will be a need to add at least one reliever — one who could fill the closing role that Raisel Iglesias handled this past year. You have to wonder if by not trading Iglesias in July, the Braves might get some level of discount if they attempt to re-sign him this winter.
