Follow the money: Cubs payroll drop should have all of Chicago up in arms

The Chicago Cubs were as disappointing as any National League team in the 2024 campaign. Expectations were high after the team hired Craig Counsell, signed Shota Imanaga and even found a way to re-sign Cody Bellinger, but the Cubs missed the playoffs while the team they stole Counsell from, the Milwaukee Brewers, won their division.

Given how poorly the 2024 season went for Chicago, there was reason to believe Jed Hoyer and Co. would aggressively attempt to improve the roster. The Cubs have improved, even pulling off arguably the biggest trade splash of the winter, but they stayed away from making big-money moves. Their current payroll reflects that.

According to The Athletic's ($) Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs payroll has decreased by 16 percent this offseason, tying them for the fourth-largest decrease in the sport. That is a terrible look for owner Tom Ricketts and this Cubs franchise.

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Cubs massive payroll drop should have Chicago fans irate

Chicago might not be New York City or Los Angeles, but it's one of the largest markets in North America. The Cubs in particular are a money-making machine. In a year that saw the team underperform expectations and miss the playoffs, the Cubs still ranked sixth in attendance, averaging nearly 36,000 fans per game and drawing nearly 3 million fans in total. Despite that, payroll has dipped substantially. They are roughly $50 million below the $241 million CBT threshold, according to Spotrac.

The way Chicago has navigated its payroll this offseason suggests the Cubs have little interest in spending money. Sure, the Cubs traded for Tucker, but they also showed no interest in signing any marquee free agent. Instead of signing a player for nothing other than money, the Cubs elected to trade for a star on a one-year deal. Plus, immediately after trading Tucker, the Cubs traded Cody Bellinger and have yet to re-invest most of the money saved after shedding most of his contract.

I can somewhat understand Chicago's reservation to spend big this offseason. Tucker is a rental, and is a player they should be going overboard to keep around after the year. An inflated payroll can impact their Tucker pursuit, and losing him after just one year would be a disaster.

Still, this Cubs team, with, say, Alex Bregman at the hot corner can be a force in the National League. The rotation, led by Imanaga and Justin Steele, should once again be among the league's best in 2025. The bullpen, thanks to several key additions, is much-improved. The lineup with Tucker and Bregman would be elite as well. Unfortunately, with Chicago clearly uncomfortable when it comes to spending big money, there's no reason to believe Bregman will be coming to the Cubs until it actually happens.

Based on how much money the Cubs make year after year, there's no excuse for the organization to be afraid to spend like the big market team that they are. Cubs fans deserve better than what ownership is inexplicably giving them.