Chicago Cubs: Existing contracts and CBA will impact 2019 decisions

(Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Chicago Cubs: Further free agent penalties

Another new provision in the new CBA is the price to be paid for signing a player who rejects a qualifying offer.  Large market teams like the Cubs will forfeit their second- and fifth-highest draft picks.  This would apply to Bryce Harper but not Manny Machado because Machado didn’t play with the Dodgers for a full season.

TV is the thing…next year

Much has been made of the looming Cubs TV deal.  Except that won’t happen until after the 2019 season.  How big a deal could that be?  The landscape is shifting fast with cable hemorrhaging subscribers as streaming services provide more nimble programming at a lower cost.  The business end of Cubs will have to be smart here.

The Cubs are one of the most viewed teams in MLB with fans all over the country.  A solid TV deal could gain the Cubs billions of dollars over the next ten years, a flow of cash that could render even the more severe CBA spending restrictions mute.

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