Up until the last couple of years, the Atlanta Braves had been able to keep pace with the Dodgers in the National League. While it was (and remains) true that LA has more money to throw around on payroll, the Braves were still adding quality free agents, making big trades, and the pipeline of young talent from Atlanta's farm system was even more productive than LA's. However, the last couple of years have seen a bit of a shift that doesn't have easy answers.
Obviously injuries have played a massive role with the Braves' struggles as well as a few players deciding to fall off of a cliff.