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“Stupid money.” The phrase will resonate with the Phillies franchise for years to come. Majority owner John Middleton promised the team would spend this offseason, and spend it did, forking over an incredible $330 million over 13 years to reel in outfielder Bryce Harper, perhaps the game’s most recognizable player.

Harper is still relatively young at 26 years old, but he’s spent a decade in the spotlight, having been one of the most sought-after amateur players in history. The jury is out as to whether he’s met the lofty expectations from that time. On the one hand, he produced one of the best seasons in baseball history in 2015, when he hit .330 with a .460 on-base percentage, 42 home runs, and 118 RBI, and he led the Washington Nationals to four playoff appearances in his seven seasons. On the other hand, he’s hit less than .250 the last two seasons, and the Nationals never won a playoff series in his tenure there. There are questions whether Harper is already on the downhill side of his career, and questions about whether his defense will continue to slide in the upcoming seasons.

Neither Harper nor Middleton seem overly concerned about these questions. At his introductory press conference, Harper indicated that he valued certainty and building a legacy more than other factors. “For me, I wanted to be somewhere where I could be for a long time, and not worry about going somewhere else,” Harper said. “I’m putting all of my faith and trust in this organization, and I’m very excited about it.”

Middleton made headlines in November when he said that the Phillies were “expecting to spend money, and maybe even be a little stupid about it.” The phrase dogged the team for nearly the whole offseason, and many thought that the Phillies might end up signing infielder Manny Machado instead of Harper. When Machado surprisingly signed with the San Diego Padres, the pressure ratched up a notch for the Phillies to come away with Harper, which they eventually did after some complicated negotations in which even Phillies general manager Matt Klentak worried they would end up coming away empty-handed.

While there might be cause to worry about what the end of the contract might look like, there’s been nothing but excitement among the Phillies’ fan base, as ticket sales and Harper jersey sales have been through the roof. Harper is far from the only major addition to the team, as Klentak picked up four other All-Stars in catcher J.T. Realmuto, outfielder Andrew McCutchen, shortstop Jean Segura and reliever David Robertson. In the case of Realmuto, the cost was steep, including the club’s top prospect in pitcher Sixto Sanchez.

Expectations are higher in Philadelphia than they’ve been since 2011, the last edition of the club that finished over .500. However, the NL East looks to be a tight race, with the Nationals, Braves and Mets all feeling like this could be their season as well.