"Cubs are squandering it" - MLB insider criticizes Chicago Cubs' ownership for lack of spending money, compares them to Red Sox

On Friday, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal and broadcaster Alanna Rizzo talked about the Chicago Cubs' lack of spending on some of the sought-after free agents available in the offseason. The Cubs had an average 2024 season, finishing third in the NL Central with an 83-79 record and missing out on the playoffs.

According to Rosenthal, it is a great chance for the Cubs to take control of their division with the resources they possess and the situations the other franchises find themselves in. As it stands, though, it looks like the 2016 World Series champions are going to let that opportunity pass them by.

That led Rosenthal to pick the Cubs ownership as the "Dork of the Week" in November 29's edition of "Fair Territory," saying they could from the Red Sox ownership, who seems to have finally woken up after employing a similarly passive approach in the recent past.

"I'm going to go with the Cubs ownership [as the Dork of the week]. The reason for that is - all we're hearing out of Chicago, the north side is 'we're not going to be involved in any of the big free agents.' They're trying to trade Cody Bellinger, I get that, but where are the Cubs? The Red Sox, after sleepwalking through the past few offseasons, have finally arisen, and awakened, and they're acting like a big-market team should. The Cubs, playing in a division that is imminently winnable, Milwaukee's really good, but the Cubs can obviously be better than the Milwaukee Brewers, they have more resources than the Milwaukee Brewers." Ken Rosenthal said [0:00]

"They (Cubs) have the ability, if they spend some money, to become a special team. They're a little bit away, we all recognize that, they need more starting pitching, more offence as well and a better bullpen. Look at that division, Milwaukee, they're not going to spend, we know that, they never spend. Pittsburgh, they're Pittsburgh. Cincinnati, they might be a little bit better, they're trying to do some things, but they're Cincinnati. St. Louis is clearly taking a step back. So, the Cubs have an opportunity here to maybe seize control of this division, and they are squandering it." Ken Rosenthal added [0:42]

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Chicago Cubs looking to offload Cody Bellinger

As Ken Rosenthal said in the aforementioned excerpt, one of the priorities of the winter for the Chicago Cubs is to get rid of Cody Bellinger. Having enjoyed a decent season with a .266 batting average, 18 home runs and 78 RBIs, the 29-year-old has reportedly decided against activating his opt-out clause to extend his stay at Wrigley Field.

The Chicago Cubs front office, however, believe that this is the right time to get rid of the star, which will free up the $27.5 million he is paid every season.

There is still a large chunk of the offseason remaining and it is yet to be seen if a move away from the Chicago Cubs ultimately materializes for Cody Bellinger. If that money is freed up, though, it will be interesting to see how the Cubs decide to utilize it, with numerous top-quality free agents, such as Juan Soto, Alex Bregman, and Max Fried, among others, available for acquisition at the moment.