Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts is aware of fans’ criticisms about the team’s recent spending habits, but he feels they’re unfair gripes.
“The business model in baseball, it’s worked pretty well for a long time, but there’s a few things right now that are just a little out of kilter,” Ricketts said during an appearance on 670 The Score’s “Inside the Clubhouse” Saturday. “Obviously, the Dodgers have a lot more resources, naturally, from smart business moves they made years ago. I don’t begrudge them any of that. Some teams just have outside resources that are funding their player moves and acquisitions, and that’s really hard to compete with.
“I understand when fans say, ‘How come you don’t spend like that?’ Because they think somehow we have all these dollars that the Dodgers have or the Mets have or the Yankees have and we just keep it. Which isn’t true at all. What happens is we try to break even every year, and that’s about it.”
The Cubs have made one significant move this winter – trading for All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker. They’ve also added some rotation depth in free agency by signing veterans Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea.
However, there’s been no indication of extension talks with Tucker – who becomes a free agent next winter – since he joined the club in December. The Cubs followed up Tucker’s acquisition by sending NL MVP Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees for reliever Cody Poteet, in what amounted to a salary dump, although Ricketts pushed back at that notion.
“If we trade Cody Bellinger for a starting pitcher, that’s a trade,” Ricketts said. “If we trade Cody Bellinger to get the resources to sign a pitcher, that’s a salary dump. It doesn’t make any sense.”
The Cubs’ 2025 payroll currently sits at around $180 million, per FanGraphs, ranking 13th in the majors. But Ricketts told The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney that he’s expecting payroll to approach the first luxury-tax threshold of $241 million, adding that money will also be available for trade-deadline additions.
Although his team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020 and last won a round in 2017, Ricketts feels the Cubs are on the right path toward perennial contention, even with a lower payroll.
“The way you’re going to win the World Series is to make the playoffs as often as possible,” he said on “Inside the Clubhouse.” “If you keep making it to the playoffs, you’ve got a shot. Our goal is to be consistent and always have a team that we think can win our division … absolutely, we’ve got to get back to being a team that competes for titles. That’s everything.”
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