A tale of two Johns - on ownership, accountability and responsibility

Contrasting Mariners ownership against another, bolder approach to leadership.

Tomorrow, the NL East-winning Philadelphia Phillies will square off against the New York Mets in their third straight NLDS appearance. The Seattle Mariners finished one game out of a playoff spot. Again.

This morning, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com published a piece on John Stanton, chairman and managing partner of the Mariners ownership group. Around the same time, Stephanie Apstein of Sports Illustrated published a piece on John Middleton, majority owner of the Phillies. To read them side by side, in quick succession, is brutal.

“We’re roughly the 15th-largest market in baseball,” Stanton said. “We’re pretty much smack dab in the middle in terms of the size of the market, and that means that we’re about average in our ability to generate revenue and to do those things.”

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Middleton explained “I told Dave (Dombrowski, president of baseball operations), since the day he arrived here: ‘Your job is to figure out what you have to do to put a championship team on the field. My job is to figure out how to get you the money to put the championship team on the field.’”

Now, let me be clear: There are no “good” billionaires. The concentration of wealth on that level is obscene, unnecessary and destructive. The Middleton family made their money through cigars and tobacco. Stanton made his through telecommunications. I have no interest in moralizing either individual nor, frankly, do I want to regurgitate the dozens of pieces beseeching Stanton to either spend more or sell the team. Eventually the old man’s throat will grow sore, and the cloud will still be there. Instead, what I am most struck by in these two pieces is how differently these two men seem to approach their roles as majority owners of baseball teams.

“The word that we use a lot — and our objective — is to have a sustainable franchise over a long period of time,” Stanton told MLB.com. “I love this place. I am present. I am here. I care deeply about this, and I believe we’re making progress. I can certainly understand why fans are frustrated when they hear me say that, but I believe that we are on track to have a team that consistently wins over a long period of time. I intend this team to win, have a winning record every season, be in the playoffs most seasons, and we will win a World Series.”

The logical, pragmatic, deeply risk-averse part of me understands Stanton’s claims. I can understand that sure, it’s not reasonable to say a team will be in the playoffs every season, and I can even appreciate the consistency of his public statements prioritizing sustainable success over an all-out approach. He was explicit in his priorities back in 2017, when he took over majority ownership. “I think keeping baseball safe in Seattle is of paramount importance. If there’s any goal greater than winning the World Series, it’s the goal and commitment to keep this team in this town.” With the A’s move still fresh in everyone’s minds, I certainly won’t go so far as to say there’s no risk of the Mariners leaving Seattle, but come on. The franchise’s revenue and profitability numbers are sky high. In 2022 they were the most profitable team in MLB. So perhaps we could refocus some of that energy back to on-field product? To quote Middleton last year, “The only reason to own a sports team is to win. And nobody gives a rat’s ass whether I make money or not.”

In that 2017 interview, Stanton was clear about how he viewed his own role. “I don’t think the ownership is important in the sense of the way the team is playing or even the major transactions other than it’s important to be willing to take responsibility,” he said. “But my philosophy is the credit belongs to those guys. If they win, it’s all on Dipoto and Servais and [Robinson] Cano and Felix [Hernandez]. We have to share responsibility if it doesn’t go well. That’s where ownership gets involved.”

Across the country, Middleton’s approach is more active. “The best CEOs don’t hide behind a desk in an office,” he says. “They’re out in their business. They’re talking to customers and talking to employees.”

“It’s kind of crazy,” says shortstop Trea Turner. “He’s, like, never in the way. He’s in the middle of everything, but you don’t necessarily notice him unless you look for him.” Added Nick Castellanos, “This isn’t a job or an asset in his portfolio. He really wants to win.” Even Bryce Harper chimed in, noting “He just does a very good job of understanding what guys need, what the team needs, what the staff needs as well. Anything you need, he’s going to deliver the best in the game.” I can neither find nor remember Mariners players speaking about Stanton in any capacity.

Those three players alone made approximately $75 million this year - nearly half of the Mariners total salary. “We’re not just throwing money at them because we just like throwing money at them,” notes Middleton. “It means there’s a reciprocal obligation, which is: I’m trying to remove impediments to your happiness, so you can focus on what I want you to focus on, which is winning.”

I can appreciate Stanton’s subtler approach to owning a baseball team. His lack of desire to occupy space in the media and general shirking of the spotlight feel very reflective of his PNW roots. Before spotting him on the field after the last game of the season, the last time I saw Stanton at T-Mobile Park was down by Great State Burger, near the ‘Pen, where all the participants of the 2023 Refuse to Abuse 5K had lined up prior to the start of the race. There are a lot of different (and still effective) ways to be a leader. Whether that parenthetical is applicable to Stanton, I’m not so sure.