Philadelphia Phillies Owner Fully Expects Their Payroll Will Increase Next Year

The Philadelphia Phillies owner certainly made a statement that was music to this fanbase's ears when he said he expects their payroll to increase next year.

Aug 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton before a game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

At this point in the offseason, it's already known which areas the Philadelphia Phillies are going to target to improve this roster.

Outfield is the big one, especially with Brandon Marsh looking like a platoon player who can only face right-handed pitching at this point in his career, and Johan Rojas putting together another year where he struggled on offense.

With Juan Soto available to be signed, there is optimism they can pull off that blockbuster deal.

Bullpen is also something that will be in the spotlight after their staunch unit during the regular season completely collapsed in the playoffs.

In order to make certain upgrades, though, the Phillies, and more specifically owner John Middleton, has to be prepared to spend more money despite already being one of the top spenders in the game.

Based on how much he has poured into this roster already, it would be hard to blame him if he was hesitant to open up his checkbook even further to add to a group that already features Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and other stars, but his most recent comments suggest he's willing to add more talent this offseason.

"Given where we are in contract cycles and minor league people coming up, I expect the player payroll to be higher [than this year] rather than lower. I'd be surprised if it's the same, and I'd be stunned, very stunned, if it's lower. I don't see it being lower," he said per Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Ok, but does that necessarily mean they'll go after some high-profile players?

"For the right player," Middleton added, "I have a high degree of confidence that Dave [Dombrowski] and I would go over the third limit."

That is huge.

Really, the only true gamechanger at a clear position of need would be Soto since it wouldn't make sense to bolster their starting rotation further, but that statement could also mean spending on impact relievers to overhaul their bullpen.

Either way, expect Philadelphia to be in the mix to make substantial upgrades to this roster as they search for that elusive World Series championship.