There was only one thing wrong with the John Middleton quote that began this baseball winter. You know the quote, even if you're not all that familiar with Middleton, the managing partner of the Philadelphia Phillies.
"We're going into this expecting to spend money," Middleton told Bob Nightengale of USA Today, way back in the middle of November. "And we may even be a little stupid about it."
Team Stupid Money was born.
But here's the thing: What Middleton and the Phillies planned was never stupid. At a time when so many other teams are patting themselves on the back for being smart and analytical and avoiding risky big-money contracts, there's a huge opening for a team willing to spend what it takes to win on and off the field.