Cardinals ownership can learn 3 lessons from the Phillies' long rebuild to prominence

Investing in the team

From 2007 through 2013, the Phillies consistently posted team salaries in excess of $125 million. The organization consistently invested in proven talent regardless of the price, and those high salaries paid off handsomely for the Phillies during that era.

From 2015 through 2018, the Phillies broke the $100 million mark only once: they spent $103 million in 2015 on player contracts. There is a clear correlation here between spending and team success.

Once the front office and ownership group started investing in the team again, the Phillies began finding success. From the 2018-2019 offseason on, the Phillies added at least one big-name free agent each winter. After a few years of acquiring veterans, the results followed along with the fans.

In the 2018-2019 offseason, the Phillies signed one of the winter's biggest fish in Bryce Harper. Harper, a target of the St. Louis Cardinals at the time, agreed to a 13-year, $330 million contract, the largest in North American sports at the time. They also brought on outfielder Andrew McCutchen and veteran reliever David Robertson.

The next year, the Phillies signed right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler to help lead their staff with Aaron Nola. Wheeler's contract totaled $118 million over five years. They also signed shortstop Didi Gregorius to a one-year, $14 million deal.

In the 2020-2021 offseason, the Phillies agreed to a deal with one of the game's best backstops in J.T. Realmuto. The contract was worth $115.5 million over five years. They also signed Brad Hand, a southpaw reliever.

The next offseason, the Phillies beefed up their offense with the signings of outfielders Kyle Schwarber (four years, $79 million) and Nick Castellanos (five years, $100 million).

The Phillies rounded out their exorbitant spending in the 2022-2023 offseason when they signed shortstop Trea Turner to an 11-year, $300 million deal. They also brought on starting pitcher Taijuan Walker via a four-year, $72 million deal to add depth to the rotation.

After four consecutive winters of opening up the checkbook, the Phillies now have one of the largest payrolls in baseball. Sure, they'll be taxed heavily on those dollars, but they've made deep runs in the postseason in two of the last three years. That type of investment has paid off handsomely for the Phillies and their fans.

The Cardinals' payroll peaked in 2024 just shy of $190 million. They slashed that dramatically this year to a figure around $125 million. With Miles Mikolas set to become a free agent and the trades of pricey veterans like Steven Matz and Erick Fedde at the trade deadline, there will be more wiggle room this offseason to spend.

The DeWitt family should mirror this spending approach. They have some young talent on the roster in Masyn Winn, Ivan Herrera, and Alec Burleson. JJ Wetherholt and Liam Doyle aren't far behind. Signing veterans to long-term deals this winter would go a long way toward jumpstarting this rebuild. Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, and Dylan Cease are all free agents. Any one of them would be a huge addition to the roster for the 2026 season and beyond.