The real reason Braves dumped Kyle Wright wasn't payroll

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kyle Wright, a former 20-game winner, was traded to the Kansas City Royals last week in a surprising move. Wright will miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, which is the root cause of this decision, even if neither the Braves nor Alex Anthopoulos will admit it.

Wright spoke to Justin Toscano of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution after he was traded, seemingly insinuating that Anthopoulos had a payroll problem on his hands.

"Pretty much that he had a number that he was given from up top, and that’s what he had to work with. I definitely wasn’t the only one. There were a lot of guys that were moved on from. That was the main thing, at least from what he told me, was just trying to clear out as much cap space as possible to get that number," Wright said.

Wright went on to say that he hoped Anthopoulos was clearing room off the books to make a run at another starting pitcher, or top-tier free agent.

“I think that’s what the Braves should be doing, is trying to go make some big additions. I hope it’s the latter. (But) I don’t know exactly which one. Only Alex knows that," Wright added.

Why was Kyle Wright traded by the Atlanta Braves?

Anthopoulos is unlikely to say the quiet part out loud in this instance, but the Braves had to feel uneasy about Wright's injury prognosis and recovery timeline. Missing the entire 2024 timeline is one thing, but there's a good chance Wright's injury could bleed into his 2025 spring training prep.

We certainly wish Wright the best here at FanSided, but he's in for a long and arduous recovery. Atlanta has been through enough with oft-injured pitchers -- just look who they shipped out of town in the Aaron Bummer deal just a few days earlier (Michael Soroka).

In the end, the Braves need pitchers they can count on. Wright hasn't been that in over a year, and soon it'll be even longer.