Phillies fans were absolutely losing it today after an article from the New York Daily News revealed that John Middleton and the Philadelphia Phillies lost $2 BILLION DOLLARS due to COVID-19 this past year.

The article was then updated to say the following:

(I’m told Phillies managing partner John Middleton told his baseball people that because of the massive losses the club suffered last year they may not be in position to re-sign Realmuto or any other big-ticket free agents.)

It looks like that was just an initial typo by the New York Daily News. Billions is a bit of an overstatement (obviously). A number in the $145 million dollar ball park seems more likely. However, it does say something about the Phillies front office that a ridiculous statement about losing $2 billion dollars from Middleton doesn’t seem too far fetched.

What we have all feared most is the fact that the Phillies will not be spending money this offseason. That part of the article seems to be true and Middleton has said such statements in bizarre zoom press conferences a few months ago.

Nothing new to see here. It is remarkable watching social media take over. Sit back and look at your newsfeed. Not one person read the article, saw the correction, and immediately jumped to assumptions that the initial article was new information from Middleton.

Truly fascinating.

MLB Free Agency has been super quiet this year due to almost every MLB Team losing money due to COVID-19. To make matters worse, we still do not know how the virus will impact the 2021 season. All of the uncertainty around the upcoming season and what type of restrictions teams might face has rich, billionaire owners scared to spend money.

Mandatory Credit: CBC