Ken Rosenthal continues to scorch the earth Tom Ricketts walks on

There was a development on Thursday night regarding the two trades that the Chicago Cubs are reportedly trying to push across the finish line.

On the Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees, the deal feels all but inevitable with the two teams trying to work out the financial ramifications of Bellinger's contract. There was reported progress on that front on Wednesday night, and on Thursday night, a report had a specific prospect name that the Cubs would be receiving from the Yankees. Conventional wisdom would suggestt hat the Cubs will kick in around $5MM, covering the buyout if Bellinger opts out of his contract after next season. If not, the Yankees would be paying $20MM for Bellinger in 2026.

On the Kyle Tucker front, former Houston Astros' beat reporter Jose de Jesus Ortiz suggests that Tucker will be traded within the next day, highlighting the Cubs as the "clear favorites".

This is all setting up for Friday being a potentially busy day for the Cubs. In the meantime, before a theoretical Cubs trade for Tucker is completed, Ken Rosenthal had one last opportunity to suggest that the Yankees circle the Astros' outfielder as their fall back option to losing Juan Soto. In doing so, Rosenthal dropped the people's elbow on Cubs' chairman Tom Ricketts.

Imagine if the Cubs included infielder Isaac Paredes in a deal for Tucker, then signed another Astros mainstay, free agent Alex Bergman, to play third base. That is the kind of plan the Cubs actually might pursue if owner Tom Ricketts were operating the team as a big-market behemoth rather than an efficient Midwest bank.

Rosenthal has not been shy about his criticism of Ricketts this offseason. The continued shots at Ricketts gives the insinuation that Ricketts' ownership philosophies are handcuffing the moves that Jed Hoyer is able to do. While fans do not want to hear any excuse for Hoyer and his shortcomings in recent seasons, the proof is there to suggest that Ricketts' meddling in baseball operations could be causing more of an interference than originally thought. The proof has been there since 2018 when Ricketts capped the Cubs' spending at a time when Theo Epstein was trying to form a new core around impending free agent Bryce Harper.

If the Cubs do complete their trade, they will have the impact bat in their lineup that fans have been clamoring for since Harper's free agency. The test, in terms of the relationship between Hoyer and Ricketts, may come to a head next offseason. Tucker won't be signing an extension if he's acquired by the Cubs, meaning if he transforms the lineup as his numbers suggest he will, Hoyer may feel compelled to shell out the largest contract in the history of the organization to keep that impact in place. A contract that would be north of $400MM. History, however, suggests that won't be the case but that is a problem to worry about next October.