I'm always willing to give Jed Hoyer and the Cubs the benefit of the doubt when it comes to what the roster will look like on Opening Day once the offseason actually comes to a close. Yes, it's frustrating that there has been no major upgrades, but we're in the first week of January are there are still plenty of desirable free agents available and you'd think the Cubs will sign someone. So, let's see how the Cubs close out the winter.
That being said, I can't get enough of Ken Rosenthal taking shot after shot whenever he gets the opportunity to regarding the Cubs' spending habits. He was crushing Cubs ownership last offseason, calls them out for going the extra mile in free agency or in the trade market and after the team failed to sign Tatsuya Imai, Rosenthal basically laughed at the thought of the Cubs converting on any major upgrade the rest of the offseason.
Rosenthal and Will Sammon wrote about a handful of teams in The Athletic on Monday and when it came to the possibility of where the Cubs would turn to next after their pursuit of Imai, the description was essentially a laughing emoji.
Via The Athletic.
The Cubs, though, still need a starting pitcher (Zac Gallen?). And a top-flight bat to replace Tucker (Bregman?). Based on their recent history, it’s probably best to bet the under.
Laughing here to hide the pain.
Again, the Cubs could still come out with a solid offseason, but holy shit has the mood completely changed after seemingly deciding not to bid more for Imai and letting him sign with the Houston Astros. This team is back to being a mediocre roster as things stand today and seeing national reporters mock the Cubs stings and probably smacks some fans back to reality.
If the Cubs don't actually go out and execute any major moves, then this will be one of their biggest failures in recent memory.
(Previous Update)
I love that during the past few years national baseball reporters have targeted Cubs ownership over the lack of paying up for star talent in free agency. Yes, the Cubs do spend a good amount of money, they have been successful acquiring talent, but there's no denying that there have been obvious restrictions in payroll. Last year Ken Rosenthal was crushing Tom Ricketts and this time around there's another MLB insider calling out Ricketts.
Jon Heyman Calls Out Cubs Spending Habits
Early indications in the offseason point to Kyle Tucker leaving the Cubs in free agency and without much of a fight coming from the Cubs. A portion of Cubs fans are more than happy not to see the team open up the check book for Tucker after his second half in 2025, but the All-Star outfielder is considered the No. 1 free agent for a reason.
That's a really good offensive player that is walking out of the door and will be tough to replace by the Cubs. Meanwhile, experts once again expect the Cubs to shy away from big-money relievers in the free agent market and many doubt the team's willingness to compete in bidding wars for elite starting pitching.
Jon Heyman didn't hold back this week, criticizing Ricketts and the Cubs' spending habits that have given the team a bad reputation among their own fan base and around the league.
Ken Rosenthal Targets Tom Ricketts
National MLB insider Ken Rosenthal has been calling out Cubs ownership this offseason and he did it again on Saturday.
Rosenthal joined Inside the Clubhouse on 670 The Score and was asked why the Cubs are not one of the teams trying to sign Soto. There was no hesitation, no excuse-making as Rosenthal directly turned the heat on Cubs ownership, calling out the main figure head Tom Ricketts.
Via 670 The Score.
"They are ... a big market team. There is no reason the Cubs should not be in this mix (for Juan Soto)....And the only person who can answer that question is Tom Ricketts."
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) December 7, 2024
- Ken Rosenthal on the Cubs.
You can listen to the entire segment with Rosenthal here.
Forget about a $600 million or $700 million contract that Soto is expected to sign, the Cubs still have not signed any free agent for more than $200 million. Jason Heyward's eight-year, $184 million remains the largest in franchise history and that was agreed to almost a decade ago.
When compared to the rest of MLB, the Cubs have signed five players to $100 million deals.
$100M+ Signed Contracts in #MLB History
— Spotrac (@spotrac) November 27, 2024
ARZ 2
ATL 4
ATH 0
BAL 1
BOS 10
CHC 5
CHW 0
CIN 3
CLE 2
COL 6
DET 7
HOU 5
KC 1
LAA 6
LAD 12
MIA 2
MIL 2
MIN 4
NYM 9
NYY 11
PHI 10
PIT 1
SD 7
SEA 6
SF 6
STL 3
TB 2
TEX 6
TOR 4
WSH 6
Spending doesn't automatically equate to winning, but it sure would be nice if the Cubs acted like the big-market team that they actually are more often. I mean, the team isn't shy about raising prices for everything associated with the franchise, but when it comes to pursuing the top stars in the game, they all of a sudden fade into the background.
Cubs Ownership "Dorks of the Week"
The Athletic's national MLB insider Ken Rosenthal called out Chicago Cubs ownership on his Fair Territory's "Dork of the Week," segment on Friday. Why? The same reason fans have been frustrated ever since the Cubs won the 2016 World Series. Sure, the Cubs spend, but they have not show the desire to go above and beyond to ensure that they can clearly be the class of their own division.
That was the gist of Rosenthal's mini-rant, pointing out how the Cubs are not acting like a big-market team.
Fair Territory with @alannarizzo!
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2024
*Snell fallout
*Widening gaps between haves and have-nots
*Answering your questions
*Dudes and dorks of the week
YouTube: https://t.co/HNVHP7fkJm
Apple: https://t.co/z2uFGU9eXY
Spotify: https://t.co/MkiZ5MmsEh
On the Cubs: pic.twitter.com/Tm6bXdwMsQ
That's what's so insane. The bar is low for the Cubs inside their own division and yet we see that they'd rather be conservative than risk being great by spending a bit more money.
“All we’re hearing out of Chicago, the North Side, is ‘eh we’re not gonna be involved in any of the big free agents.’ We’re gonna just try to do some other things. They’re trying to trade Cody Bellinger, I get that. But where are the Cubs? …. [The Cubs] have the ability, if they spend some money, to become a special team …. The Cubs have an opportunity here to maybe seize control of this division and they are squandering it. Cubs ownership, Dorks of the Week.”
The Cubs are reportedly desperate to unload Cody Bellinger this offseason after the outfielder/first baseman opted back into his deal with the team following the World Series. Despite having pitching as their top priority this winter the Cubs are not seen as suitors for Corbin Burnes nor Max Fried and were not involved with Blake Snell, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Juan Soto, one of the best hitters in baseball since making his MLB debut in 2018 and is a free agent at 26-years-old? Not even a consideration for the Cubs.
We'll beat this drum over and over again. The Cubs have one of it not the most expensive ticket in all of baseball and yet the owners won't sign off on franchise-changing players. Year after year you see star players signing around the league and the Cubs sit idly by, living off their 2016 championship.
Pathetic.
