February 20, 2019: Money Problems

Do you believe the Cubs have money problems?

The Cubs are loaded, and they’re only going to get more money, with the big TV deal announced.  They’re still working on Wrigley and the surrounding area; things are looking up, up, up in the revenue department.  With a World Series only a couple years ago, the Cubs popularity has never been higher.  Sure, this offseason has brought its share of unfavorable events; some swear they are done with the Cubs, or at the very least, done spending money on them.  OK… Guess what?  A lot of those people probably weren’t true fans anyways.  The way I always say it, is that I’ve been a Cubs fan long before any of these individuals, and I’m going to be a Cubs fan long after any of these individuals.  Some bad apples along the way aren’t going to change my allegiance, sorry.  That being said, I can’t wait until they get on the field and start playing ball.  It certainly looks like that will be without Bryce Harper.  The reason for that:  no money.

Well, although I don’t believe that, I do believe that the Cubs will need a shit ton of money to keep the players they have today.  Remember after the World Series win, we weren’t worried about the young core; we had these guys under contact for a few years… nobody was going anywhere.  Well, it’s a few years later, and the piper will have to be paid.  Besides the guys already under big contracts, there are some other big ones on the horizon.  Baez and Bryant come to mind for starters.  So given the option, would you want the Cubs to pony up for Bryce or Machado (definitely too late for him), or for them to pay and keep KB and Javy?  We can’t pay everybody, right?  And in that vain, maybe they don’t have money to do that; which team does?

The Yanks, the Dodgers, the Red Sox… there’s no reason why the Cubs can’t be in that conversation, and as a matter of a fact, they are.  Only the Red Sox will have a bigger payroll than the Cubs in 2019; the Yanks and Dodgers are 3 and 4 respectively.  The Cubs and Red Sox are the only two teams with payrolls over 200M.  So even if we don’t believe the Cubs have no money, let’s not act like they’re not spending a ton of it on the squad already.  Did you really want Bryce?  I think he’s a bit overrated personally…

So yeah, I’d rather use these millions and millions of dollars, that will only add up in the years to come, on our guys… keep our team together.  Now yes, winning must be a part of that decision.  We need another World Series title… at least one.  But if the last 4 years are any indication, these Cubs are going to be in the mix for years to come, regardless of whatever else the other guys do.  210 million dollar payroll this year people, OK?  Not getting Bryce Harper for whatever reason is not the end of the world.  We have plenty of talent to win it all again; the guys are putting forth a ton of resources to keep us in this position.  Let’s not get crazy now.  Can’t wait for the games to begin.  Go Cubs!