The Philadelphia Phillies are in the middle of some much-desired change this offseason. A re-tooling of the roster and a slight adjustment to the current philosophy would go a long way in injecting some additional life into the organization. The same one that has also taken three straight runs at the playoffs after missing it for over a decade.
There have been some signs of both urgency and hope to adapt to the ever-evolving sport of baseball. The rumor mill is already starting to turn for the Phillies, fielding calls about certain stars on the roster and their availability for trade. There has also been a major addition to the Phillies ownership group, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
It was announced a couple of weeks ago that the Phillies have added three new investors to their $2.93 billion ownership group, per Forbes.com. Managing partner John Middleton announced Nov. 1 that Mitchell L. Morgan, Guntram J. Weissenberger Jr. and one additional anonymous party have been brought in as investors.
Morgan is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Morgan Properties based out of Conshohocken, PA. Weissenberger is President of Westover Companies based out of King of Prussia, PA which provides living at over 15,000 apartments.
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Okay great! $500 million of additional capital dumped into the club with over $500 million to work, with free agency heating up. Unfortunately, the brakes were pumped immediately as the burning question of Juan Soto’s free agency simmered, per Zolecki.
“I don’t think we need to have more star players,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said last month after the team’s season ended. “We have as many stars as about anybody in baseball. So I don’t think necessarily that you need to add more. John is very accommodating and giving, but you’re also in a position where you’re still working with a payroll.”
The dream of bringing the superstar talent into Philadelphia seemingly stalled before it got started. Middleton announced the additional capital would be allocated to debt left over from the COVID-19 pandemic. The team is also in pursuit of a new Clearwater complex and more additions to Citizens Bank Park.
It’s not exactly the news you expect to hear with additional investors coming in, but the changes will be appreciated nonetheless. Middleton has still held strong in his belief that he wants to add to this team and may even view things differently than he has in the past.
Middleton understands that the Phillies may just be a bargaining chip for the New York teams in the Soto sweepstakes, and that’s okay. There is still plenty of talent to find elsewhere on the market. If the money isn’t coming from the added investors, it may be time for Middleton to dig a little deeper in his pockets to make the Phillies of 2025 the best version yet.
