This reminds me of the way the politicians worry about spending over $1 trillion, but have managed to spend $4-5 trillion in recent years. It’s almost not real.
It’s the same way with the Sox budgets. We’re almost conditioned to act like its our own money.
That we’re wringing our hands over $4ish million and worrying there will be no way to add a RFer and reliever is telling.
Next year, it will be the CBA uncertainty.
The whole mentality is not a championship-focused one. It’s more just being happy to get into the playoffs and maybe advance.
It’s always this way.
We added Grandal, Hendriks and Keuchel, now there’s almost no financial flexibility.
Seems a foregone conclusion that Giolito and Anderson will eventually be gone, so why worry about window years 5-7 when we should be maximizing year 2? Even at the budget of the Cubs, it wasn’t sustainable and their last four years will be disappointing barring a major pitching miracle. We’re ONLY about $70-80 million behind them. But that was 2016-2018. It’s like we are supposed to be thankful we’re not running even tighter budgets like the Indians, Tigers and Royals.
Austerity rules.
But it will will unlikely lead to a championship since we have no niche or competitive advantage, other than Cubans (diminishing every year) and what, Katz?