Phils' Middleton: 'Shouldn't be an owner' if you aren't accountable to fans

Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton said he has a responsibility to the fans and city to consistently field a championship-caliber club.

"This is why it's important to go out and sign people like Bryce Harper, why you pay Zack Wheeler $40-plus million a year for three years," Middleton said, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. "It's because this is how the fans react. It's important to them. They appreciate it. They recognize it. I love that. I have other owners who look at me and say, 'We don't get this.' ... It's remarkable how special this city is as a fan base.

"It's why I keep telling everybody, it may be a privately-held business that we own, but it's not a private organization. It's a very public organization. It's a stewardship. We have an obligation. We are accountable to the fans and to the city. If you don't approach it that way, you shouldn't be an owner, in my opinion."

Philadelphia owns the fourth-largest payroll in the majors this season at just over $246.8 million after handing out big contracts to Harper, Wheeler, Trea Turner, Aaron Nola, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, and Nick Castellanos over the years.

The Phillies made the National League Championship Series in 2023 after a trip to the World Series in 2022. The club enters Tuesday's action with a seven-game lead in the NL East and is one win behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the most victories in baseball.