Yes, the owners know because they have to pay the salaries. They at times can tell the President and GM a figure amount that they would go to and the haggling by GM's is done. Often a owner will say, you have a certain amount for the entire season on the team to spend and the exact amount of a player's contract may not have to be told to the owner if it is cheaper than market value but owners still basically know every player's contract. And Middleton in particular is very hands on the financial part of the team. McPhail and Klentak couldn't spend a dime without Middleton's approval.
No, no...I must've explained it wrong. I get that Middleton knows the numbers of what he may/may not pay. But does he know the numbers of what lets say, Cohen (NYM) will pay? Hypothetically, if Cohen came for Realmuto and offered a contract to Realmuto....would the Phillies brass know what that figure is, so they could either match or make a better offer? If they do know...how did they find out? Do agents tell GMs, "look Cohen has offered $10 for Realmuto and we're considering it". Or does MLB have some sort of database w the $10 offer available to EVERY team to see?