I’m fed up. And so are many Braves fans.

Pitchers and catchers officially report to camp tomorrow. We should be getting excited. This team won a division just six months ago, becoming one of baseball’s best and most exciting stories. Ronald Acuña’s grand slam in Game 3 still sends chills down my spine when watching it on YouTube. The Braves were a full year (or two) ahead of schedule.

Instead, we’re getting headlines like this one:

‘The Braves think their fans are idiots.’

And it sure feels true following yesterday’s joke of a Q & A with The Athletic. It’s worth a read if you haven’t read it already. Just be ready to do the James Harden eye roll when reading some of the responses.

Everything was set up for a big offseason to take that next step as an organization. That’s what the front office has told us for years. This is a team that hasn’t won a playoff series in nearly 20 years. The Braves and Alex Anthopoulos would be able to “shop in any aisle.” Those are his words. Here’s a quote from Anthopoulos in July:

“So we saved some money and we have that available, and now – as the byproduct of the results – attendance is up, everything is up, the organization is doing much better. I deal with (Braves chairman) Terry McGuirk when it comes to this stuff. We’ve had conversations about it. We have money beyond what we’ve saved because of how well the club has done. I’ve been given very specific instructions, and I can shop in any aisle. I can at least have a conversation. I can tell you right now in all the discussions and all the players we’ve discussed, there’s no single player that we can’t afford.”

The Braves reported that revenue was up 47 percent in 2017, an “astounding” $386 million. I’d imagine finances were equally (if not more) impressive in 2018 as the team saw an attendance boost and hosted two sold-out playoff games. There are bills to pay, but that’s true for all 30 teams.

Fast-forward eight months. The Braves rushed to sign Brian McCann on a one-year deal. In a vacuum, it’s a fine deal. Better options, like Yasmani Grandal (1/$18M) and Wilson Ramos (2/$19M), signed elsewhere in the National League. The Phillies upped the ante to get the game’s best catcher in J.T. Realmuto. The Braves sat on their hands.

Then came the signing of Josh Donaldson. Hey, they spent money! Hopefully he stays healthy. If he doesn’t, the Braves are going to get rightfully torched for putting all their offseason eggs in the basket of a mid-30s third baseman who hasn’t played a full season since 2016.

As the rest of the National League East loaded up — Realmuto, Ramos, Patrick Corbin, Edwin Diaz, Robinson Cano, Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen, Jed Lowrie, Brian Dozier, Yan Gomes, David Robertson and so on — the Braves stood by. Their only other move was a reunion with Nick Markakis. It screams of being cheap. Scrooge McDuck comes to mind.

After one of the most disappointing offseasons in franchise history, Terry McGuirk and Alex Anthopoulos spewed a bunch of bullshit in the aforementioned Q& A. It was the usual horse manure we’ve come to expect. They continue to lie to fans. This is where my frustration comes from. This isn’t hot take or opinion. They’re liars.

From 2014: “Really, as far out into the future as I can see, I see us raising payroll every year,” Braves chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Yes, part of that thought comes from the optimism and the lack of uncertainty that the new world brings to us.”

From 2016: “We are at the low end of the (payroll) spectrum at the moment,” Braves CEO Terry McGuirk said. “We are not afraid at all to go to where it takes to be a championship team. The sequencing of that is very important to us.”

From 2018: “There will be very few teams that have as much to spend in the marketplace next winter as the Atlanta Braves,” McGuirk said. “The opportunity to spend is there, but it’s going to be done judiciously and sequentially when (general manager Alex Anthopoulos) says it’s time. (...) We’re going to let these young players come up, but we’re going to supplement whenever it’s time to put the pedal to the metal. We feel like we have the capacity to do it.”

Let’s go back to that quote from McGuirk.

“There will be very few teams that have as much to spend in the marketplace next winter as the Atlanta Braves.”

The Braves have spent $31 million this winter. Thirty-one million. Maybe they’ll pull a rabbit out of their hat during the next few weeks, but I’m not holding my breath.

That’s $170 million less than the Nationals. That’s $70 million less than the Phillies, who made a couple of strong trades and could still add Bryce Harper. I’d argue the Mets had the best offseason of any team in baseball and spent significant money to make it happen.

I want to believe in the Braves and their future. I want to believe McGuirk when he says they’re going to spend the money needed to become a true World Series contender. I want to believe Anthopoulos when he says they’re going to shop in any aisle.

I don’t want to be lied to. I don’t want the front office to speak in interviews like the fan base is comprised of morons who don’t know how to use Google. The lies began when SunTrust Park was announced towards the end of 2013. That was five and a half years ago.

The fan base is pissed off. Take a look at social media or the comments section on this very blog. Fans are naturally critical of their team, but this is different and justified. The Braves have done this to themselves.