To hear John Middleton tell it, the entire conversation lasted three minutes, maybe four.
It was March 17, one week after the end of Major League Baseball’s unbecoming 99-day lockout and three weeks before a rushed opening day. Hundreds of free agents were unsigned. Teams scrambled to complete their rosters. And upon arriving that morning at the Phillies’ spring-training complex in Clearwater, Fla., president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski ducked his head into Middleton’s office.
A few days earlier, the Phillies agreed to terms with Kyle Schwarber on a four-year, $79 million contract. Now, Dombrowski wanted to double down on sluggers. With the designated hitter coming to the National League, there was a place on the roster for Nick Castellanos. But there wasn’t space in the budget. Not unless ownership was willing to push the payroll over the competitive-balance tax threshold for the first time in club history.
