Not quite the start to spring training the Phillies were hoping for.
In less than a week, we’ve gotten Nick Castellanos’ release, revelation about the Miami incident, Philadelphia eating nearly $20M to watch their former $100M man play for a National League playoff rival and the (loud) arrival of Bryce Harper to camp, armed with plenty to say about Dave Dombrowski.
Harper put the icing on the cake of what’s been a poor Dombrowski offseason.
The vibes? Not great! The team? We’ll see.
The messaging?
Well, it’s time for someone to step to the microphone.
If Phillies owner John Middleton has his finger on the pulse of the fan base, he’ll talk soon. It’s time. The offseason has been a disaster. Fans are upset. Confidence in the team (despite the 96 wins from one year ago that management continues to remind us about) is low.
And when the face of the franchise calls the team president’s comments “wild” while holding court with the media, it’s not great. Harper also expressed how when he signed here that all parties promised to keep in-house stuff, well, in house. That felt like a direct line to Middleton, considering that the current manager, team president and general manager all weren’t in place here when Harper signed in February 2019.
Middleton says he wants his trophy back. That happens in October.
How about getting behind a mic, taking questions and reassuring the fan base that this franchise is rowing in the same direction?
He needs to more than he might realize.
We unpacked the Nick Castellanos release on the WIP Midday Show.
Here’s how I think we’ll remember Castellanos’ time in a Phillies uniform.
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