Cubs appear to get roasted as MLBPA president speaks the truth owners hate to hear

Fourteen teams spent more than the Chicago Cubs in free agency this offseason. How many teams are more valuable than the Cubs? Three. The New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. Where did those teams rank in free-agent spending? Third, second and sixth, respectively. If math isn't your strong suit, Chicago ranked 15th.

Cubs owner Tom Ricketts has been taking shells all winter from national and local writers alike for his conservative approach to spending, despite owning one of the most valuable franchises in professional sports. Chicago sat on the sidelines on every major free agent outside of Roki Sasaki, who was only eligible to sign a minor-league deal coming over from Japan ahead of his age-25 season.

Juan Soto? Nope. Corbin Burnes? Good luck with that. Max Fried? No chance. Even in the team's recent pursuit of Alex Bregman, Jed Hoyer had to sell ownership to push past their budget for 2025 - which means the club is looking at a payroll cut from last year and the Cody Bellinger trade was about freeing up salary more than anything else.

It's not just writers who have taken notice. MLBPA president Tony Clark made some public comments to USA Today this week and it's hard to believe they're not directed toward Ricketts.

“Hypothetically speaking, it’s an interesting dynamic when a club says it doesn’t have any money," Clark said, “but it’s otherwise investing hundreds of millions in properties around the ballpark. And then, leveraging the value it creates for the club to take more money to do more with that property, all while running a professional ballclub ... I always find it fascinating when clubs talk about their finances and do so against the backdrop of an industry that's growing as quickly as this one. That's an interesting dynamic."

Cubs owner Tom Ricketts is facing withering criticism this spring

Ricketts, who created a self-inflicted headache coming off the shortened 2020 season with his 'biblical losses' comments, has tightened the purse strings for the better part of a decade, really, with a few exceptions spread over the last six years. But that hasn't slowed the continued development of the property surrounding Wrigley Field - or the team's value, which continues to climb to unprecedented levels.

The family purchased the Cubs in 2009 for $845 million; the storied franchise, as of March 2024, was worth a staggering $4.22 billion. Payroll hasn't continued to grow at the same rate, though. Hoyer had to beg and plead with ownership last spring for a March push to re-sign Cody Bellinger - and it was only because of that contract the team surpassed its previous high water mark from 2019.

That's not how a large-market franchise should be run. That doesn't mean you have to go spend like the Dodgers or Mets, but at least put a payroll on the field commensurate with the organization's value and market size. Teams like the Cubs should have the best of both worlds: an internal development system and the ability to flex its financial muscle for top free agents.

Instead, the Ricketts are pinching pennies on the field - while continuing to print cash across their countless Wrigleyville developments. It's a sad post-2016 reality that's become a new norm.