Goliaths like a team that has been to the World Series 5 times since the Astros have been in business?
A Goliath that would sign Bryce Harper, Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen, David Robertson and J. T. Realmuto in the 2018 off-season?
You mean those Goliaths?
Oh, wait.....
*laughing* Believe it or not, the Phillies are just outside the top ten 2019 major league payrolls. Here are the top ten, in descending order:
Red Sox---$226.9 million 2019 payroll. Trade deadline: Losers.
Cubs---$217.6 million 2019 payroll. Trade deadline: Non-factor.
Yankees---$217.1 million 2019 payroll. Trade deadline: Maybe the biggest loser. (They needed rotation help bad and didn't get it
despite Marcus Stroman and, it turned out, Zack Greinke on the trading floor well before deadline day.)
Dodgers---$199.7 million 2019 payroll. Trade deadline: Maybe the second biggest loser.
Giants---$171.1 million 2019 payroll. Trade deadline: Stood pat on Bumgarner now that they're back in the wild card hunt. Neutral.
Astros---$168.8 million 2019 payroll. Trade deadline: Biggest winner.
Nationals---$165.8 million 2019 payroll. Trade deadline: Winner.
Cardinals---$163.6 million 2019 payroll. Trade deadline: Non-factor.
Angels---$159.1 million 2019 payroll. Trade deadline factor: Loser. (They were rumoured in play for Greinke, but that's all it was. They weren't the biggest losers, though.)
Mets---$158.9 million 2019 payroll. Trade deadline factor: Winner.
The Braves have the number 14 2019 payroll ($139.2 million) but might have been tied with the Nationals for the National League's biggest trade deadline winner with their bullpen fortifications. The Indians have the number 19 2019 payroll ($121.1 million) but until the Astros swooped in with the Zack Greinke deal the Tribe looked like the biggest winners of the trade deadline period; their three-way with the Reds and the Padres Tuesday night put the rocket fuel into deadline day.