Chicago Cubs: This year brought a very different feel at Cubs Convention

Chicago Cubs: A quiet offseason has everyone on edge

If I could sum up the mood this year, it would be muted. There were the eternal optimists, sure. But when a highlight montage played, showing Nicholas Castellanos, visible groans emerged in the crowd – given the slugging outfielder is still available, but the team hasn’t made any progress in getting payroll to the point they could make a serious run at his services.

"“People have to realize the correlation between what you spend and how much you win isn’t nearly as perfect as you’d like it to be, particularly for a large-market team,” he said. “The top-two payrolls last year (the Red Sox and Cubs) didn’t make the playoffs. There were two teams in the playoffs combined (the A’s and Rays) that have less payroll (than the Cubs). So it’s really not just about money we put out there.”"

Expectations have fallen given how the offseason has played out to this point. Now, as Theo Epstein pointed out during Saturday morning’s baseball operations panel, there’s still plenty of time left in the winter – but with most of the impactful options already signed elsewhere, it’s hard to imagine the front office drastically re-shaping a roster that failed to reach the postseason for the first time in a half-decade.

Cubs Convention will continue to be a family tradition, that’s for sure. But this year was certainly unforgettable – but not for a reason that makes me all that excited for the 2020 season. Reality hit hard this weekend for not just myself, but plenty of other fans, and it’s on Ricketts to face facts and help get things back on track.