January 06, 2026
Kyle Ross/USA Today Sports
Phillies ownership could be preparing to spend spend spend in 2026.
The longer free agency drags on — and the longer star players like Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, J.T. Realmuto, Ranger Suárez and others remain unsigned — it makes sense to wonder what the holdup is.
And for a Phillies team that needs to find a way to compete with the Dodgers, the back-to-back World Series champs, it's also logical to wonder why they don't just spend like L.A. does.
Last season, the Dodgers had a payroll so much larger than the Phillies' that three entire payrolls (the Rays, White Sox and Marlins) were less than the $103 million difference in spending between Philly and L.A. from 2025. The Dodgers spent more than $417 million on players and they won it all. Seems like a simple formula in a league without a salary cap.
At least for now. The players and owners appear to be heading for some kind of lockout after the 2026 season over that very issue when the current CBA expires, which could be even more reason for the Phillies to open their checkbooks while they still can.
There is a loose correlation between spending big and winning big:
| Season | WS winner | Spending |
| 2025 | Dodgers | 1st |
| 2024 | Dodgers | 1st |
| 2023 | Rangers | 8th |
| 2022 | Astros | 9th |
| 2021 | Braves | 13th |
| 2020 | Dodgers | 5th |
| 2019 | Nationals | 6th |
| 2018 | Red Sox | 1st |
| 2017 | Astros | 17th |
| 2016 | Cubs | 4th |
Only twice in the last 10 years has a champion come outside of the top 10 highest payrolls. The Phillies should be there in 2026 again, as they already project to have the third-highest spending, according to spotrac.com.
The question is, if you're going to be third, why not try and be first?
The Phillies are a profitable franchise, at least according to CNBC, which not only values the team at $3.2 billion, but says the team made $528 million in revenue last season, tied for the fourth most of all 30 MLB teams. The problem is, thanks to their international players, the Dodgers and Yankees are in another stratosphere when it comes to income — they each made over $700 million.
There is a path for the Phillies to throw some money around and take advantage of the slow-moving market. They could tantalize Bichette, Tucker, Realmuto and Suárez by simply giving them what they want and fielding a super team — like the Dodgers did last year after they threw hundreds of millions at Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki and Tanner Scott, among others.
For what it's worth, Phillies CEO and Managing Partner John Middleton — whose Tobacco empire has helped him to an estimated $4.2 billion net worth — always seems to say the right things. In 2019 he talked about his willingness to spend "stupid money" and he did, ushering in the Bryce Harper era in Philadelphia.
This fall, he spoke to USA Today and said more of the same.
“I want to win," Middleton said. "If you win a World Series, does it really matter how much you had to spend? Does anyone know whether the ’27 Yankees made money? Did they lose money? Nobody knows. Nobody cares. All anyone remembers is that they were great. We want to be great, too. We want to be World Series champions."
“It’s just money," he went on to say. “The fans don’t care how much I make or how much I lose. They just want to know how many World Series trophies you win. So do I."
Over the last decade, Middleton has signed multiple players to nine-figure deals, from Harper to Trea Turner to Kyle Schwarber. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler did too. Even Nick Castellanos was inked to a $100 million deal.
Middleton and team president Dave Dombrowski have probably earned the benefit of the doubt — that they'll spend what they can to win. But there do appear to be some limits.
After becoming a repeat luxury tax offender, the Phillies paid over $56 million in the tax last season and are likely to pay it again. They will be way over the $244 million threshold, but there is a third tier, around $304 million that must pay 60% on the dollar. They haven't yet shown they'd go that high.
The general feeling is that the Phillies will pay, within reason, to retain Realmuto at catcher with few appealing alternatives, but probably won't do much more than that.
They could use another starter and still have a murky outfield. They have players in Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm who are solid, but can easily be upgraded for the right price.
Phillies fans are lucky to have owners who spend to win. They might not be as lucky as Dodgers fans, but the Phillies are also looking long-term and hoping to see some big league contributions from top prospects Justin Crawford, Aidan Miller and Andrew Painter. Getting younger is important too.
Sensible and smart is their philosophy, and as much as throwing $400 million at superstar Tucker feels like a good move, the Phillies are going to continue to pick their spots.
SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter
Follow Evan on Twitter:@evan_macy
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
