Braves Report: Profits, pitching and programming walk into a bar …

Hello again, friends.

We’ll dive into the pitching and profits and that whole “BravesVision” thing in a bit.

But first: Beat writer Chad Bishop chats with (suddenly long-haired) Austin Riley about doing some good away from the field.

Have Braves-related questions or comments? The Braves Report mailbox is always open for business.

LONG HAIR, STILL CARES

Braves third baseman Austin Riley gets his swing on.

Austin Riley’s fourth annual charity golf tournament is scheduled for April 27. Riley made the announcement on his Instagram page earlier this week.

The event was previously held at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth. This year’s event will take place at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek.

“I’m excited about that,” Riley said emphatically. “It’s a sweet course.”

Riley, some of his teammates, other athletes, musicians and actors are invited to compete in an event that benefits The Warrior Alliance. The Warrior Alliance is a nonprofit that supports service members and veterans.

• Cunningham: Braves need more from Riley in 2026

Riley’s event, according to its website, has raised more than $500,000.

“My team does an unbelievable job about getting together and putting this thing on,” Riley said. “At the end of the day it’s about raising awareness for our veterans and active military and showing support for them. It means a lot to me. It’s been unbelievable, the guys come out to support, so it’s been awesome.”

April 27 is an off day for the Braves, a date nestled between the end of a three-game series against the Phillies and three-game series against the Tigers, both at Truist Park. The tournament is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.

More information can be found at austinrileygolf.com.

📲 Thanks, Chad. Y’all make sure to follow him at @MrChadBishop — and stay in the know with live updates from spring training.

GETTIN’ RICHER, STILL NO PITCHER

Braves general manager and president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos roams around CoolToday Park.

Last week we asked you a very important question: Who are you most annoyed/upset/angry at over this team’s seemingly never-ending pitching predicaments?

The results weren’t particularly surprising.

📊 A. General manager Alex Anthopoulos, what you doin’ man? 52%

📊 B. The corporate overlords need to get off their fat … wallets. 26%

📊 C. Don’t we have, like, trainers? 19%

📊 D. The players and their “loose bodies” and such. 3%

Tough showing for Mr. Anthopoulos, but the frustration is understandable.

“AA talked about starting pitching being something he wanted to address at the end of last season and has signed NO ONE!,” Alan in Dunwoody wrote. “Come on man, enough bargain basement shopping.”

I feel ya. The man loves a deal.

Not sure it’s entirely in his control, though.

Thought this X post from former AJC and Athletic reporter David O’Brien (recently retired) hit the heart of things: “To me, it’s simple and #Braves won’t say this: The team’s execs always try to be both highly competitive while also staying as immensely — and I mean *immensely* — profitable as possible.”

Our amigo Ken Sugiura, meanwhile, listened to a quarterly earnings call for Braves Holdings this week. Safe to say they’re, uh, hitting that last part out of the park.

• “Among the numbers shared Wednesday was Braves Holdings’ 172% year-over-year growth in adjusted OIBDA — for those more familiar with WHIP and WAR, it’s a key measure of a company’s financial performance — from $39.7 million to $107.8 million.”

I spent a few years covering local governments and their budgets, and even I had to look up OIBDA.

The bottom line? Cash flow ain’t even close to an issue.

😡 More fan-frustrating numbers herein.

BRAVESVISION AND YOU

Will the launch of BravesVision, the team’s new self-run TV offering, further pad corporate pockets?

Presumably! (Ken has a very good line about it in the column linked above.)

But you’re probably more interested in what it means for you, right?

At risk of repeating things you’ve already read, here’s the gist of what we know so far:

• You should be able to get the new channel on whatever cable, satellite or streaming provider you already have … but they’re still working on each of those deals.
• There will also be a standalone streaming option similar to MLB.TV, but without the local blackouts. Pricing is scheduled to be announced sometime in March, but these things generally run about $19.99/month.
• Gray Media (Peachtree TV, etc.) will broadcast some games for free, over the air, too.
• As a reminder: Generally speaking, the Braves “market” covers Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina and a good chunk of western North Carolina. (Map here.)

The aforementioned Ken Sugiura goes a little more in-depth here.

QUICK, SOME OTHER NEWS!

📺 Today’s Grapefruit League game against against the Red Sox starts at 1:05 p.m. — and will air on your local Gray TV station. Chris Sale and JR Ritchie slated to pitch, with lots of regulars in the lineup too.

💪 Spencer Strider and that all-important fastball are set to make their first spring start Saturday against the Orioles.

• In case you missed it, here’s how similar debuts went for Bryce Elder and Reynaldo López.

🇲🇽 Braves infielder Nacho Alvarez joined the Mexican squad for the World Baseball Classic, which starts March 5.

💵 Atlanta broke the (single-season) bank for Chris Sale. The extension shows how much he means to the club — but it’s still a bit risky, columnist Michael Cunningham says.

• Speaking of risks: Mizuno gave Sale a sword?

😮 Peyton Glavine, son of you-know-who, joined the Braves on a minor league deal. The 26-year-old spent 2025 with the Nationals’ Advance-A club, posting a 3.64 ERA in mostly relief work.

🧩 Consider reliever Hayden Harris is ready to get in where he fits in.

🤔 Fun with lineups: With Ronald Acuña Jr. ready to reestablish himself in the leadoff spot, the rest of the order could fall a number of ways. (Drake Baldwin in the two-hole, anyone?)