Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts recently made the media rounds to discuss, among other things, the team’s financial position. He warned of the dangers of wasting money on luxury tax penalties and explained that “you can’t really buy teams, you have to build them.” The Yankees proved him correct on that front, yet I cannot help but suspect that Ricketts is still fundamentally wrong in his general thought process.
While money cannot guarantee another Cubs World Series title, spending it does increase the odds of winning. So even if top free agents are expensive lottery tickets, buying more of them means having a better chance at having one pay off big.