Chicago Cubs: Why is Tom Ricketts ducking fans at Cubs Convention?

Chicago Cubs: Defending NOT being in on Machado or Harper? No thanks.

While this offseason in general has been rough for most baseball fans and free agents, it’s been especially hard for the Cubs coming off a Wild Card game heartbreak and disappointing 2018 campaign.  Fans heard Theo Epstein proclaim the club would be looking for production over potential, intimating that big changes might be looming for the young core of the Cubs.

Alas, none of those big changes came.  Unless you think the Tommy LaStella for Daniel Descalso swap was a big deal? Seriously, it doesn’t look like the Cubs are going to do much of anything this offseason, and there has been rampant speculation from every possible media outlet that Chicago has no money to spend (or Theo has no access to the money).  Joe Maddon just came out and said the Cubs won’t have Bryce Harper in uniform next season.  Every report suggests the Cubs don’t even have money to spend on a decent reliever at this point.

If I were a billionaire, I wouldn’t want to answer questions about why I can’t pay a few million in extra luxury taxes when it could mean a better team or more money coming in on the back end.  I wouldn’t want to answer questions about why I’ve handcuffed my GM from making moves because I’ve only put so much in his piggybank – especially not when the Cubs print money and will continue to do so with their new network, ballpark, surrounding facilities and merchandise.

Then again, I’d probably be pretty stupid with my money and try my best to pry away that other Cubbie Bear team in Chicago from Virginia Halas McCaskey. I wouldn’t want to answer questions, but I’d be open to giving my GM whatever they thought they needed to win.

All kidding aside, if there are expenditures and issues us common folk aren’t privy to, tell us that. Come out and say, “we want to stick to a budget and don’t want to tell anyone what that is for competitive reasons, so that’s how we stand right now.”  Again, no one would hold it against you.  But, when you don’t show up to answer any questions, it makes for a bad look. Plain and simple.

In 2019, optics are everything.  Everything can be spun by the media.  And, unfortunately, the way it looks, there’s no spinning this dodge by the Ricketts as anything but that – and it’s going to be disappointing for a lot of fans at the convention and those reading or hearing about it online.

But don’t forget. There’s always the smallest of chances he walks out with Winter Storm Harper in a jersey that kinda looks like it belongs to Kerry Wood.