Keep spending, John
In the weeks that follow the end of the season, the accountants in New York tally up the final luxury tax bills for teams that actually spent money to improve their teams. This year, there were nine teams that exceeded the first threshold of $241 million that triggers the tax, the Phillies being among them.
We’re not going to talk about the Dodgers, whose luxury tax payment is going to be more than the payrolls of twelve teams.
The Phillies paying that much in luxury tax is the highest amount of money they have ever paid. The optimist can point to John Middleton and company continuing to pay money to put a roster on the field that is able to get to the playoffs on a consistent basis. The pessimist will use the Will Smith meme and say “all that luxury tax for this?”
For 2026, it certainly looks like they’re headed over that same threshold yet again, so the thought process should continue to be “Why stop now?” as they shape the roster ahead of the season. However, as we have seen, there is a point they do not wish to cross.
Let’s see how they continue to spend.
Category: General Sports
