The Chicago Cubs are one of the truly marquee franchises in all off baseball, but you would never know it based on the way they have operated in recent years.
The Cubs have been incessantly criticized by the fan base for their lack of spending, a recurring theme that has plagued Chicago for the better part of the last decade and has prevented the club from rediscovering the World Series glory it finally experienced in 2016.
Yes, the Cubs went out and traded for Kyle Tucker last winter, but they did that with the understanding that the four-time All-Star would probably walk after the season, and it’s looking more and more like Tucker will be departing the Windy City in the coming weeks or months.
But will Chicago do anything of significance this offseason?
Jake Elman of FanSided has fired a stern Rob Manfred-related warning to the Cubs to get them moving.
Rob Manfred definitely wants the Chicago Cubs to spend
Aug 1, 2025; Chicago, IL, USA; Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announces Major League Baseball and the Chicago Cubs will host the 2027 All Star game at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
While Manfred can’t actively step in and demand the Cubbies to spend money, you can bet that he wants Chicago to dole out some big bucks.
“For the Cubs, though, they should be keeping busy throughout the offseason. Rob Manfred awarded the Cubs an upcoming All-Star Game, and the Cubs are one of those teams that tend to always draw attention and eyeballs,” Elman wrote. “Although they no longer have to worry about the pressures of breaking a 108-year title drought, the fact that the Cubs went over a century without a championship will follow them forever.”
Chicago draws ratings. It’s that simple. The Cubs were America’s lovable losers before finally breaking through in 2016, and while they finally ended the Curse of the Billy Goat nearly a decade ago, they still can’t manage to shake their prior reputation.
Oddly enough, that helps Chicago. As Elman said, it gets people watching, and fans want to see a good product coming out of Chi-Town. But the Cubs will have difficulty giving the people what they want if they don’t spend.
“To be clear, none of this is to say that Major League Baseball should be begging the baseball overlords for the Cubs to win their first World Series title since 2016,” Elman added. “At the same time, we should collectively want organizations like the Cubs that have the budget and have things seemingly trending upward to be aggressive, whether it’s by signing a free agent or making an impactful trade.”
There is no question that the MLB wants the Cubbies at — or at least near — the top, so Manfred is surely hoping Tom Ricketts loosens his purse strings this winter.
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