Oct 12, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton meets with right fielder Nick Castellanos (8) before game four of the NLDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Bill Streicher
Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos was very complimentary of the role that managing partner John Middleton has played in helping the Phillies to reach the postseason for a third consecutive season during a recent interview.
Appearing on Foul Territory, Castellanos compared Middleton to the late Mike Illitch, who owned the Detroit Tigers when he was selected by the team in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft.
"Mike Illitch and John Middleton, what they have in common, is that they are a fan of their team," Castellanos said. "Like the kind of fan that would go with their family and sit in the upper deck and enjoy themselves and be loud and obnoxious, right? So that passion is there."
The through line between that era of Tigers baseball and the current one that the Phillies are in is president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Dombrowski was in charge of Detroit's front office when Castellanos was drafted, and then he brought him to Philly with a five-year/$100 million deal in free agency prior to the 2022 season.
Nick Castellanos on playing for John Middleton.
"I don't think he's using the Phillies as a balancing act for his overall wealth portfolio."
Video: @FoulTerritoryTV
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Castellanos pointed out that Middleton has given Dombrowski the financial freedom to push the chips to the center of the table, knowing that you aren't going to have a 100% success rate on the shots you take in free agency, and sometimes you need more money than initially anticipated to finish off the roster.
An example of this — and this isn't Castellanos' thought — would be Taijuan Walker. The Phillies took a swing on a four-year/$72 million deal with Walker prior to the 2023 season. Particularly in 2024, it's turned in disastrous results, as Walker has a 7.10 ERA and may very well be left off the postseason roster. Some ownership groups would see that likely sunk cost and tighten the purse strings. The best organizations seem to be aware that not every major investment will go as planned, but that can't stop you from taking more swings.
What Castellanos would go on to note is that as far as the on-field product, Middleton isn't pinching pennies in an effort to maximize his personal wealth.
"...Because the goal, I don't think for John Middleton is to profit from ... I mean, nobody wants to operate at a loss ... but I don't think he's using the Philadelphia Phillies to keep other means to keep other means of income afloat, right? I don't think he's using the Phillies franchise as a balancing act for his overall wealth portfolio. I think he's in it because he wants a ring."
Castellanos is one of six players on the Phillies whose overall contract is worth $100 million or more, along with Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, J.T. Realmuto and Trea Turner. According to Spotrac's estimates, the Phillies have the fourth-highest payroll in baseball at $246.9 million. The money has been committed towards trying to win a World Series. Now it's up to the Phillies — those six players, specifically — to provide the return on investment in the postseason.
