Philadelphia Phillies owner puts Cardinals' owner Bill DeWitt III to shame

The DeWitt family has owned the St. Louis Cardinals for nearly 30 years now. Bill DeWitt III and Stephen Brauer bought the team from Anheuser-Busch in 1995 for just $150 million. For the most part, the team has seen a lot of success under the ownership of the DeWitt family, but the sentiment amongst fans is that the ownership group has become increasingly stale over the last few years.

The Cardinals have consistently spent more money than the average MLB team since 1995, and that generosity by the DeWitts has been rewarded with World Series titles in 2006 and 2011 under their leadership. Few owners in baseball can say they own a team with multiple World Series trophies in that time span.

Bill DeWitt III and his previous comments about owning a baseball team came to my mind recently while reading about the Philadelphia Phillies owner, John Middleton. Middleton has been quite generous -- and occasionally lavish -- when spending. Whether it be buying National Championship rings for every full-time employee following the 2022 season or spending hundreds of millions of dollars each season to improve his team, Middleton is one of the few owners in baseball who commits a bulk of their finances to their team.

In a piece written by Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required), Middleton was quoted saying, "It may be a privately-held business that we own, but it’s not a private organization. It’s a very public organization. … We are accountable to the fans and to the city. If you don't approach it that way, you shouldn't be an owner, in my opinion." This quote stands in stark contrast to what we as Cardinal fans have heard from the St. Louis owner Bill DeWitt III.

In fact, DeWitt said something very different just a few years ago about owning a baseball team. DeWitt claimed that owning a baseball team "isn't very profitable". This coming from a man who owns a franchise valued at $2.55 billion according to Forbes.

Bill DeWitt III has said on multiple occasions that the team operates under strict financial limitations. His transparency with the fanbase pales in comparison to John Middleton's honesty with his fans. Cardinal fans deserve an approach to spending similar to what John Middleton has allowed these past few seasons in Philadelphia.