Over the weekend, high-ranking officials from the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and one “mystery team” met with free agent Juan Soto. Yesterday, the Yankees joined that group. And today, the Dodgers will get their shot.

Absent from that collection of suitors, of course, is the Chicago Cubs. And although I’ve made peace with that reality — in so far as that IS what’s happening (i. e.

there’s no subterfuge going on here) — I still have difficulty understanding why you’d sit out an opportunity like this. Or at least, I have difficulty coming up with an explanation that isn’t just about the money. Plain and simple.

And while that may sound obvious to you — because at this point, it is! — I think we need to say it out loud. And often.

If we don’t, we’re all just letting them off the hook, implicitly succumbing to the various excuses for their neglect. For example, one refrain I’ve heard is that Jed Hoyer and the Cubs are not even MEETING with one of the greatest opportunities in free agency EVER because “Why would they waste their time on a guy who is so obviously going to stay in New York, most likely to sign with Steve Cohen’s Mets? ”But there are at least two huge problems with that argument.

Are we seriously contending that the executives and owners and analysts and contract lawyers for the Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Red Sox don’t realize the same thing? Are they all just wasting their time? Or is it maybe worth giving yourself a shot at one of the greatest free agents ever (based on his performance, but also his age) on the off chance that maybe he likes your city or team or potential or WHATEVER and will at least give you an opportunity to match his best offer?

The Cubs ARE planning to meet and pitch Roki Sasaki, who is at least (if not more) likely to end up with one team (the Dodgers) than Soto is to stay in New York. So why is it worth it for Sasaki and not Juan Soto? The money.

That’s why. Sasaki is going to be extremely affordable thanks to the rules around international free agency, Juan Soto is not. That is the only reason.

I’m also frustrated by the fact that the Cubs reportedly were willing to go well beyond their usual means last winter for Shohei Ohtani, who’s at least in the ballpark of what Juan Soto is going to get this offseason. That indicates that there’s not some black-and-white roadblock to spending at this level (another theoretical excuse that can be shot down). In other words, while we were already comfortable guessing that Tom Ricketts and the Cubs *could* afford Juan Soto based on the revenue the team generates, the Ricketts’ family personal fortune, the obscene valuation of the Chicago Cubs organization, and one of the priciest gameday experiences in the entire sport, we have evidence that they were at least willing to entertain spending half a billion on a player just last offseason.

So why not Soto? Again, it’s about the money. © David Richard-Imagn ImagesI do not believe the Cubs see Soto as so much less impactful than Ohtani (especially considering Soto’s remaining prime years) that they wouldn’t even consider the pursuit.

Or rather if they did, they’d be wrong. Instead, they likely believe — correctly, I’m sure — that they’d have gotten a greater FINANCIAL return on their investment with Ohtani because of the tickets, jerseys, sponsorships, international appeal, etc. In other words, they were willing to do what was right for the team when it was financially prudent and they’re not when it’s less so.

And I’ll repeat this: Some of you will read that last line and call it obvious. The Cubs are a business after all, in it to make money. Sure, true.

Accurate. But we are fans, and we don’t have to just be okay with that. There are plenty of other teams and owners and front offices out there that do not operate that way.

Plenty. Some owners want to win, not on some mythological long-term/sustainable timeline. But next season.

And the one after that. Refusing to even give yourself a shot at Juan Soto demonstrates something different. I’m not going to stop rooting for the Cubs, it’s part of me, but I can at least be clear-eyed about what this team is and is not.

So bottom line? I think Tom Ricketts, Jed Hoyer, Carter Hawkins, and the Chicago Cubs are making a huge mistake by not seriously pursuing Juan Soto this offseason and I think it’s entirely about the fact that they’re not willing to spend what it takes to win. Writing that is not going to change anything.

I’m not delusional. But we can at least say it out loud. This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.