John Middleton, the Phillies’ principal owner, freely admits that he has been conflicted over these last few years, that there has been a war raging between his heart and mind, between his desire to win right now and his recognition that the Phillies needed to rebuild their organization.
No major-league franchise has lost more games since 2012 than the Phillies, and for an owner who famously confessed to Ryan Howard, in the wake of the team’s 2009 World Series loss to the Yankees, that he wanted his bleeping trophy back, this last half-decade has been the greatest test of his resolve to chase a championship the right way.