Because they are owned by a public company, the Braves are required to disclose financial information that other organizations can keep in house. Those interested in reading up on the financial health of the Atlanta organization can check out this article from Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constution, which rounds up some info from a recent conference call involving Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei. The team lost money last year, though he says that was due in large part to its major international expenditures. Maffei also commented on reports that the Marlins might sell for $1.6B, saying that he was “not surprised” to see those numbers, while adding that he sees the Braves as a “far more valuable” franchise.
Here’s more from the NL East:
- The Nationals’ failure to land a top-tier closer this winter didn’t match the hopes of skipper Dusty Baker, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. Baker says he was hoping the team would bolster its 9th-inning situation, and suggested that he doesn’t expect any late-breaking move to do so. The veteran skipper continued to suggest that there’ll be a battle in camp to knight a closer. Just how Joe Blanton will fit into the mix (once his deal is made official) remains to be seen, but Baker called his addition “significant.”
- Mets third baseman David Wright is headed for a second opinion on his ailing shoulder, as Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports. Whether or not that visit has any hope of substantially changing the outlook isn’t known. As of now, however, he’s slated to stop throwing for at least a few weeks. Read up on the latest on Wright here.
- After a delay caused by residual elbow soreness, Mets righty Zack Wheeler finally made it to his first live BP session of the spring today, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets. Wheeler is scheduled to appear in game action for the first time on March 10th, at which time the organization may finally begin to get some clarity as to how much it can expect out of him this year. As with Wright, Wheeler has faced a non-linear road back from injuries. On the positive side for the Mets, Wheeler is just 26 years of age and is earning only $800K in his first season of arbitration eligibility.