Cubs TV network was part of what kept them from signing key pitching free agent

The Chicago Cubs got their guy when they re-signed Cody Bellinger to a short-term deal after Spring Training was already underway. Bellinger’s free agency was a small display of changing tides in a sport with no salary cap, where spending decisions are often up against real-world business factors more than they otherwise might be in a capped league. 

In the end, those factors likely held the Cubs out from getting the best possible roster together. 

Cody Bellinger's free agency went nothing like we thought it would

Bellinger entered free agency looking surely like a Cubs exit. His bounce-back year with Chicago proved he could still swing it like he did in his MVP season after several slump-heavy years between. His 2023 statistics seemed poised to earn him a nice big deal. 

Then, he didn’t get that. Teams didn’t bite. 

It wasn’t an agency problem. Bellinger is represented by Scott Boras, one of the notoriously hard-bargaining faces in MLB. And Boras had everything he needed -- an incredible 2023 -- to bargain hard.

TV contracts and the unknowns ahead in the media market dominated spending behaviors for teams. Teams like the Rangers had no regional sports deal set up and couldn’t spend how they otherwise might have wanted to defend its World Series title. Meanwhile, the Arizona Diamondbacks could because they got further than they expected to by making it to the World Series. More games equals more revenue. 

Bellinger wasn't alone. Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery also didn't get contracts until Spring Training started for similar reasons.

Jordan Montgomery to Cubs? Might have been possible a few years ago

When the Cubs landed Bellinger, Cubs new manager Craig Counsell joked with Boras that he thought he'd be bringing Montgomery with him in the deal, too. It was a joke, but one of those quips that also had a hint of realism.

The Cubs would have loved to have added Montgomery. Their pitching rotation is a little younger than might be ideal at this point. They couldn't justify the cost, though, in part because of the transition away from linear programming (subscription required) and TV rights deals and how much they had doled out to get Bellinger back, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney said that at least 10 teams spent less this offseason because of the in-flux status of the broadcasting world.

Teams that sold broadcasting rights recently got far less than they did before, and bankruptcy of previous rights owners had teams scrambling to get new deals done at a lower rate.

While the Cubs are in a better position than some teams since they own and operate their own broadcast on Marquee Sports Network, which was created in 2020, there is still plenty of uncertainty on how the shift away from linear cable programming could impact the revenue flowing to the team.