For years now – thanks an the ‘insider’ deal hatched to sell the Atlanta Braves – the team has been saddled with a below-market-value television rights contract.
It was back in 2014 that this contract was renegotiated (and most likely extended) to provide a bit of financial power coming back to the team.
Nonetheless, this contract still remains as one of the elements that is holding down overall revenues for the club and it acts as a large weight that is keeping them from competing with the rest of the large market franchises at higher payroll levels.