The latest Juan Soto update makes Tom Ricketts and Jed Hoyer look worse than ever

It's no secret the Chicago Cubs are sitting on their hands as a third of the league woos superstar free agent outfielder Juan Soto. That's nothing new as Tom Ricketts and Jed Hoyer have shown great reluctance to even stick their toe in the deep waters of the market over the last four years.

Hearing the Tampa Bay Rays, who have a ton of problems on their plate outside of roster-building, checked in on Soto didn't feel great. After all, that's a team that has never even eclipsed $90 million on an Opening Day payroll and Soto is seeking north of $600 million.

But to add insult to injury, we have the identity of the second small-market team that checked in with Soto: the Kansas City Royals

Now, to the surprise of no one, the Royals' found Soto's asking price to be outside their comfort zone. The bigger issue for me is Kansas City at least did the bare minimum and reached out. The fact the Cubs (at least in all public reports to this point) refuse even to do that undermines the credibility of both ownership and the front office.

Two years ago, the Cubs signed Dansby Swanson to a seven-year, $177 million deal - the second-largest deal in franchise history. But even then, they went with the most affordable of that offseason's star-studded class of free agent shortstops - claiming they liked how he projected long-term. Really, given the behavior of the front office, it's hard to think that his price tag (which checked in more than $100 million below Corey Seager and Trea Turner) wasn't a factor.

Watching teams like Tampa Bay and Kansas City at least kick the tires on a player of Soto's caliber is nothing short of embarrassing for the Cubs. This is a team in dire need of star power and there's an opportunity to add one in his mid-20s who should, at least on paper, still be approaching his peak years. But instead of putting their best foot forward, they're looking for reclamation projects and budget-friendly options to marginally improve a team that's fallen short of expectations two years running.