New gate revenue numbers from Wrigley Field won't help Tom Ricketts with Cubs fans

Kyle Tucker hasn't even donned the home white pinstripes at Wrigley Field for the first time and, already, Chicago Cubs fans are accepting the fact he'll likely be a one-and-done on the North Side, departing in free agency next offseason.

That expectation stems from repeated public comments about payroll and high-dollar contracts from Cubs owner Tom Ricketts - and the moves that have come from Jed Hoyer and the front office. Chicago moved Cody Bellinger in a straight salary dump this winter and, even after acquiring Tucker in a clear win-now move, fell well short in their reported pursuit of Alex Bregman late in the offseason.

The team opens 2025 with a payroll lower than it finished 2024 with - a damning indictment for one of the game's most valuable organizations. Those recent franchise valuations, which pegged the Cubs at $5.31 billion, paired with new gate revenue numbers from Sportico will do Ricketts no favors with a frustrated fanbase.

Gate revenue doesn't directly translate to pure profit - obviously, there are countless expenses that go into creating the gameday experience at Wrigley Field. But it's clear that the dollars are flowing at the Friendly Confines, even as the Cubs' postseason winless streak enters its eighth year and ownership looks to 'find value in the margins'.

This winter felt like the first that fans' ire shifted heavily from Hoyer to Ricketts as more and more people began to understand the front office can only work with the resources and within the financial limits it's given. Frustrations over not being involved on top-end free agents yet again this winter should be directed at ownership, period.

The Cubs have never signed a free agent to a $200 million contract. They infamously sat out the Bryce Harper sweepstakes ahead of the 2019 season and since Ricketts proclaimed his team's 'biblical losses' during the pandemic, Chicago has been seemingly content to sit on the sidelines on every high-dollar free-agent over the last half-decade.

Anyone who has set foot in Wrigleyville in recent years understands it's a money-printing machine - with more and more of those dollars going into the Ricketts' pockets thanks to a number of developments that have sprung up of late, ranging from hotels to bars, restaurants - and even the rooftops are owned by the family these days.

Cubs fans are tired of hearing ownership cry poor. But I've said it before and I'll say it again: the only way anything is going to change with this ownership is if the seats at Wrigley aren't full - and that seems unlikely given its place as a summer staple and must-see tourist destination.