Phillies

ESPN Writer: John Middleton ‘Has Emerged as a Driving Force in Philly’

By Bob Wankel

Published: Jul 15th, 2018 · 3:39 PM EDT

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I think these remarks from Phillies owner John Middleton found in this February piece from Todd Zolecki seem pretty relevant this Sunday afternoon:

I would tell you, whether we get it done before the start of the season or we do it during the season, I’m hoping we’re playing so damn well by early July that I get to look at Matt and say, ‘Matt [Klentak], we’re in the hunt now. What the hell are you going to do come Trading Deadline to get us over the hump?’ If we’re there, my guess is Matt will probably look at everything a little bit differently, as I think he should.

With the Phillies sputtering a bit this weekend in Miami, but still in sole possession of first-place in the NL East heading into the All-Star break, keep those words in mind as you check out this bit of information from ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick:

Owner John Middleton has emerged as a driving force in Philly. He's very aggressive and has no reservations about spending money. This is hard to fathom, but I've talked to people who think he might try to sign both Bryce Harper and Manny Machado as free agents this winter. https://t.co/kT9jzpul9M

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 15, 2018

A driving force, you say? I believe it. It would seem that he has a pretty firm desire to win, so I can absolutely imagine the following scenario playing out in Klentak’s office:

Klentak and Andy MacPhail are sitting down to discuss a possible trade package for Machado as Middleton abruptly walks into the room and asks, “Did someone say package?” He then unfurls his, uh, metaphorical package, sternly demanding, “What the hell are you going to do come trading deadline to get us over the hump? Get it done.”

There’s also this follow-up tweet from Crasnick:

Just as interesting, Milwaukee owner Mark Attanasio is another guy with an inclination to go for it. If it did come down to the #Brewers and #Phillies, we might be looking a great owner smackdown.

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 15, 2018

A great owner smackdown? My money is on Middleton. Don’t know too much about Mark Attanasio, but if he wants to throw down, I suggest he be careful:

Don’t know how I missed this, but I’m 99% sure that’s Phillies owner John Middleton getting FIRED UP after the Torrey Smith TD on Sunday night. pic.twitter.com/dn5jSrIIoo

— Bob Wankel (@Bob_Wankel) January 24, 2018

Pure aggression. Wouldn’t mess with it.