This is a follow-up to a piece from a year ago which recapped MLB teams’ spending in free agency since the 2017-18 off-season, i.e. since the Phillies began trying to compete again: The Billion Dollar Rebuild
To summarize that: after the 2017 season, with a well-regarded farm system and a long playoff drought that made both fans and the ownership group eager for a return to fun at The Bank, the Phillies began spending in free agency to fill out a core and compete again. The farm system though has delivered less than expected, meaning that they had to spend even more than they normally would to capitalize on the investments in Bryce Harper and others and field a competitive team.