Since reaching the 2022 World Series and subsequently losing to the Houston Astros, the Philadelphia Phillies’ postseason success has steadily declined. In 2023, the Phillies bowed out in the NLCS, then lasted only to the NLDS in the two years that followed. This year, they fell another step down with an NL Wild Card Round exit. Analysts and critics have already pointed fingers at Dave Dombrowski before for running it back and not putting together a championship roster. But in a recent episode of 97.5 The Fanatic, an analyst has shifted the blame to the Phillies’ top brass.

“If you are happy with selling three million seats per season and just barely making the playoffs, keeping the prices going and changing Harry the K’s and doing whatever you can, you can say, ‘Hey, I’m doing stupid money; I want to win this team a championship as long as you have Dave Dombrowski coming back.’ Your actions do not back up your words, you’re responsible now,”said Adam Smitty Smith about John Middleton on 97.5 The Fanatic.

The analyst claimed that the actions of the controlling owner, Middleton, are responsible for the Phillies’ decline.

Middleton has been a part of the Phillies ownership group since 1994, initially owning a minority stake. In 2014, he increased his share of the team to 48% and started acting as the team’s controlling owner.

As the principal owner, Middleton hired Dave Dombrowski as the president of baseball operations in 2020. A newly hired Dombrowski helped the Phillies return to the postseason for the first time since 2011.

But earning a postseason berth without winning any championships is not enough for the franchise. This year marked the fifth consecutive year that the Phillies qualified for the playoffs. As they again exited without a championship, Adam Smith called out Middleton for being satisfied with monetary gains and for not holding Dombrowski accountable.

Despite the Phillies bowing out of the 2025 NLDS, losing 3-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dombrowski ran back almost the same team this year, including keeping the veteran core of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Zac Wheeler intact.

While Schwarber (45 homers), Harper (.269 BA), and Wheeler (3.00 ERA) pulled their weight, Turner at shortstop has been a liability on the team. Turner’s massive 11-year, $300 million contract also makes him a difficult trade piece. He recorded 21 errors at shortstop this season, while batting .242. Turner went 1-for-11 in the Wild Card Series as the Atlanta Braves eliminated the Phillies.

Bryce Harper is also under a massive 13-year, $330 million contract. Furthermore, they are all 33 years old, and the Phillies need to shift their focus to adding younger talent to the roster rather than running it back. However, the financial burden of those huge contracts is most likely not helping the Phillies sign new players.

Dombrowski’s free-agent acquisitions in the last few years have also not delivered the expected level of success. Nick Castellanos, Max Kepler, Whit Merrifield, and Adolis Garcia, all acquired during free agency, posted a collective 0.4 WAR, per the Philly Voice. Across seven seasons, the Phillies spent $128 million behind them.

With these roster gaps remaining unaddressed, Smith expects Middleton to hold Dombrowski accountable. However, recent reports indicate quite the opposite.

The 70-year-old executive is currently under a contract extension he signed in 2022. The Phillies are reportedly expected to offer Dombrowski a lifetime contract in the 2027 season. If ownership does not acknowledge the front office’s drawbacks, then firing managers alone won’t help the Phillies win a championship.

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