Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts fired back at critics who say that the team has closed its pocketbook this offseason.
In a radio interview on Thursday morning, Ricketts discussed the team’s budget, and said that signing players like Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish have already added plenty of money to the club’s payroll.
“First of all, we have spent this offseason,” he said. “Obviously we signed Cole Hamels and we picked up Daniel Descalso, and I’m sure Theo (Epstein) has a few moves left in him. But frankly, we have one of the largest budgets in all of baseball, (and) we’re among the very top spenders, so I just think all that stuff is kind of misguided.”
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Anthony Rizzo #44; Javier Baez #9 and Kris Bryant #17 celebrate after Baez scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 9th inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on August 16, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs defeated the Reds 7-6. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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Willson Contreras #40 of the Chicago Cubs hits a home run in the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field on September 30, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Andrew Weber/Getty Images)
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MESA, AZ - FEBRUARY 20: Taylor Davis #43 of the Chicago Cubs poses during Photo Day on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Taylor Davis
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SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: Daniel Descalso #3 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on September 29, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
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CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 11: Brian Duensing #32 of the Chicago Cubs commits an error throwing to first base in the ninth inning during game four of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field on October 11, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
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Carl Edwards Jr. #6 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the eighth inning during game four of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field on October 11, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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Cole Hamels #35 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 1, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
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Ian Happ
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Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks throws against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018, in Chicago.
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Brandon Kintzler #20 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Washington Nationals during the second inning of game one of a doubleheader at Nationals Park on September 8, 2018 in Washington, DC.
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MESA, AZ - FEBRUARY 20: Dillon Maples #36 of the Chicago Cubs poses during Photo Day on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dillon Maples
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ATLANTA, GA - JULY 19: Mike Montgomery #38 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on July 19, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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Jose Quintana #62 of the Chicago Cubs looks on while in the dugout during the fifth inning of their game against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on September 16, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
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Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Chicago Cubs celebrates with teammates after scoring a run in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field on May 12, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.
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Relief pitcher Pedro Strop #46 of the Chicago Cubs reacts after pitching against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the MLB game at Chase Field on August 11, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Cubs defeated the Diamondbacks 8-3. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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Ben Zobrist #18 of the Chicago Cubs gets a base hit single during the eighth inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Wrigley Field on August 20, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Ricketts also discussed the extra taxes the Cubs have to pay, between $20 and $30 million a year, and the fact that the team has to cover all of the expenses of Wrigley Field, which is in contrast to the sweetheart deals that most teams have with the cities and counties in which they play.
Reports throughout the offseason have indicated that the Cubs will not have the money to spend on big ticket free agents, including Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Other teams in the Central Division have made some moves, but the Cubs have mostly stood pat, with the exception of signing Descalso to an inexpensive deal.
Ricketts also elaborated on why the team's ownership group decided not to hold an annual question-and-answer session with fans at Cubs Convention, saying that the panel was poorly rated by fans who attend the annual event.
