The Philadelphia Phillies Have No Reason Not to Spend

It’s no coincidence the Phillies made the World Series in the same season they finally went over the luxury tax threshold.

Author:
Leo Morgenstern
Nov 8, 2022 1:12 PM EST

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Philadelphia Phillies

The MLB offseason has officially begun.

Aaron Nola is coming back. Jean Segura and Zach Eflin might not be. Six players from the 2022 NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies have already elected free agency.

The New York Mets, meanwhile, have already started things off with a bang by signing Edwin Diáz to a nine-figure contract. Carlos Correa, Jacob deGrom, and Xander Bogaerts have opted out of their contracts in search of their next big payday.

Soon, on Nov. 10, MLB free agency will officially begin.

The Phillies will be major players on the free agent market, just like they have been for the past six seasons. This time around, however, it's going to be a little different than before. Because this time – for the first time – we don't have to worry about the Competitive Balance Tax.

On Mar. 22, 2022, the Phillies signed Nick Castellanos to a five-year, $100 million contract. Before the ink was even dry, the deal represented a landmark moment in team history – the Philadelphia Phillies had gone over the luxury tax threshold for the very first time.

Managing partner John Middleton had never come out and called the luxury tax threshold a hard cap, but year after year the team stayed just beneath it. Year after year, the team also fell just short of contention.

Every offseason and every trade deadline, we wondered if this would finally be the time they went over the tax and how they could possibly compete if they didn't. Then, at long last, Dave Dombrowski convinced his boss to loosen the purse strings.

It worked out as perfectly as anyone could have hoped.

Not only was Dombrowski able to sign both Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber, but he had the financial flexibility to make more additions throughout the season (Noah Syndergaard, David Robertson, etc.) and to cut ties with underperforming players and eat the remaining salary on their contracts (Odúbel Herrera, Jeurys Familia).

It's safe to say that if Philadelphia hadn't gone over the CBT threshold, they wouldn't be the National League Champions today. They might not have made the postseason at all.

Thus, there should be absolutely no excuse not to spend again this winter. Middleton has experienced firsthand what can happen when he opens his wallet to make the team better. Why would he want to go back now?

If Middleton knows what he's doing, he needs to give Dombrowski a blank check this winter. It worked last time, and it will work again.

The sky is the limit this offseason. Time to buckle up.