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When it was first announced that the bleacher renovations at Wrigley Field would be delayed with the left field bleachers opening in May and the right field bleachers opening in June, the general feeling was anger. Then it seemed less serious and sort of amusing. Now, the early-season situation might incite anger once again.
With revenue streams closed off during those months, including lost revenue from ticket sales and lost advertising time caused by delayed building of the right field big screen, the Chicago Cubs may not have taken in as much money as they thought they would.
As president of baseball operations Theo Epstein explained, the team sets a budget before the season starts and that factors in-season revenue. With that revenue level being lower than anticipated, the team may not have as much financial flexibility as they thought they would at the trade deadline.
Of course, team financials aren’t disclosed to the public, but statements made by Epstein suggest the team might not have as much flexibility at the deadline as they once thought they would. And all of this traces back to the delays to the bleacher renovations at Wrigley Field.
Sure, Wrigley Field will look more modern with the extensive renovations, but when it starts affecting the on-field product, it’s not good for anybody. Owner Tom Ricketts is a businessman first and he’s trying to make money from this team. That isn’t to say he doesn’t care about the Cubs, as he grew up a huge fan.
However, if Ricketts isn’t willing to shell out a little extra money this trade deadline for the Cubs to land a top-of-the-rotation pitcher like Cole Hamels, Jacob deGrom or Scott Kazmir, it’s going to start looking a whole lot like he cares more about making money than putting a winning product on the field.
