*This is called a Bruce Levine Blog. Get used to it.*
I think getting Bregman would have improved the Cubs by at least 3 games and given us a better roster in October. Both things are very important in what’s an extremely marginal sport.
But overall it wasn’t a complete dealbreaker to me on the 2025 season. Not nearly to the extent as acquiring Kyle Tucker. So even without Bregman, the roster is still significantly improved from a statistically anomalous 2024 season. The division should be weaker, the club should play better, and Counsell probably won’t be so terrible. Blah blah blah.
Blah blah.
My point: I wanted Bregman bad, but we can survive and advance nonetheless.
What’s much more difficult to stomach is learning that the Cubs will never get a big free agent again because Tom Ricketts refuses to defer money:
Those deferrals are about $7m a year total. That’s what’s holding up Tom Ricketts from adding to his current budget like the rest of baseball’s best rosters. He simply doesn’t want to defer any money because last time he did it, the Cubs won a World Series. And heaven forbid we defer money for players that make 33 starts and 600 plate appearances on a World Series team. Literally one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard in my life.
The Cubs could have easily added that $7m to their 4-year contract to get to $135M over 4 years. They could have given an opt out after year one and front loaded the contract. They could have been creative and more aggressive and competitive but instead we chose missionary sex. We chose a 92mph contract offer that’s good enough to give you the opportunity to get shelled. Congratulations on maybe once thinking you had a shot at this?
The problem is Tom Ricketts is stuck in place and simply won’t budge. That’s because he’s controlled by businessman Crane Kenney, and Crane Kenney is an emotionless suit who does not care about winning. He only cares about revenue and profitability and making ownership happy with their investment in the Cubs. And unfortunately he’s final decision maker on behalf of Tom Ricketts and it blows.
That’s one of the reasons why Theo left early. And it’s the primary reason we can’t sign any big free agents and we’re continuously falling behind the best clubs in baseball. Each year we slip just a little bit more to where I think the Cubs are objectively a 2nd-rate club that’s competing for 10th place. That’s certainly how we operate and the tone of the Bregman follow-ups aren’t changing my mind.
Another observation:
The mainstream media is actively calling out the Cubs in a way I have never witnessed under Tom Ricketts. Even the media partners on 670 are giving them the business.
All 3 reporters from the Athletic were critically outspoken which I find surprising because they’re the 3 best reporters and most professional guys covering the team. They would historically be controlled by the PR group but there’s a new team in charge of media relations. However big, I sense a connection there on the collective negativity and maybe that’s the shining positive out of this entire mess. It would appear the Cubs mainstream beat is just as pissed off as the rest of the fanbase with Tom Ricketts crying poor. So I would expect more and consistent pressure and I think it only gets worse if Kyle Tucker plays somewhere else next year.
All of this to say it would have been nice to get Alex Bregman, but would be much better if we were financially competitive with the top of baseball. We’re not so let’s pray for over-performance like Jed Hoyer suggested.