The deal that the Phillies had in place with Ryan Madson was supposedly $44 million over four years, but it was nixed by Phillies' ownership. Was it too rich for the Phillies' blood? Too much to spend on a reliever?

Nah. They didn't think it was enough money to spend. From Jim Salisbury from CSN Philly:

Sources say Papelbon deal is four years and approaches $50 million, pending physical #phillies

Whoa. That's Brad Lidge money, but for one more year. You can see how the Phillies, who wouldn't need a $12 million closer if Lidge were still around next year, made sure that they weren't going to get caught short-handed in 2015.

In the year 2015, by the way, the Phillies will have $62.5 million or so committed to three players. Extrapolate that out to a 25-man roster just for yuks, and you get a $520 million payroll.

The offseason is young, and the Phils still need a shortstop! There's still a chance that they can get past the $100 million mark for 2015 this offseason.