Philadelphia Phillies Owner Worried About 'Legacy' Not 'Profit' As He Goes All In
The Philadelphia Phillies’ payroll continues to rise.
That doesn’t bother Managing Partner John Middleton if it produces one thing – a World Series title.
The Phillies came so close last season, falling just two victories short against the Houston Astros.
The Phillies’ success only motivated Middleton even more to bring another MLB championship to the city of Philadelphia and its first since 2008.
“How much did the ’27 Yankees make? Or the ’29 A’s? Or the ’75-’76 Big Red Machine?” Middleton asked in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber. “Does anybody know? Does anybody care? Nobody knows or cares whether any of them made any money or not. And nobody cares about whether I make money or not. If my legacy is that I didn’t lose any money owning a baseball team on an annual operating basis, that’s a pretty sad legacy. It’s about putting trophies in the cases.”
Middleton started the process by signing Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million deal. Without Harper, the Phillies wouldn’t have advanced as far as they did last season.
Then came key deals for Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos.
This past offseason, Trea Turner was inked to an 11-year, $300 million contract and Taijuan Walker signed for four years and $72 million to bolster the pitching staff.
Middleton clearly has not been shy about spending money. That’s one reason why the passionate fan base is drawn to him.
Even if the Phillies end up owing money because of the luxury tax, Middleton will gladly pay the bill.
Middleton wants to win and won’t stop working until there’s a parade moving down Broad Street.
It’s easy to want to play for this type of owner.
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