Many media members, including head cheerleader David Kaplan, are jumping up and down with joy that the Cubs will be "contenders" in 2015.
Kaplan is the loudest proponent of the Plan. He praises Theo Epstein like a man who was just healed by snakes in a revival tent on a hot summer day in Southern Mississippi. He claims that the Plan was the only solution to become a contender. But only small small market teams like Kansas City have had to slog through a pure home grown talent search - - - and the Royals took 29 years of their Plan to reach the postseason.
But the media frenzy is part of the Cubs ticket office's need to sell more season ticket packages for 2015. And to get those package deposits in earlier than previous years. You see, Ricketts has to get more cash flow this winter in order to pay for his construction projects.
Kaplan believes that the Cubs prospects are going to be 2015 All-Stars; Rizzo, Castro, Soler, Bryant, Hendricks and Arrieta. But in his Cubbie kool aid stupor, he forgets about all the other "can't miss" prospects from past contending teams: Corey Patterson, Felix Pie, Mark Prior, Brett Jackson. And these prospects can come up with a splash but then spin out of control like strike out machine Javy Baez.
To temper his giddiness, Kaplan believes that the Cubs will spend big for a free agent pitcher like Jon Lester and a leadership guy, like catcher Russell Martin. And maybe sign another second tier outfielder. But there is no evidence that Ricketts is going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on free agency this winter. In fact, the evidence clearly points to Ricketts not spending money on baseball. The Cubs payrolls have declined in every year of Ricketts ownership. Ricketts has to save money to pay for his ambitious construction projects. And despite the optimism, the Cubs still finished last in the NL Central. One or two players are not going to turn around the team.
Even Epstein himself infers that he is waiting for the business side to get its act together. He infers that there is not a big market budget for the baseball operations. And he thinks that the time for a big infusion of new team revenue will come only when the Cubs can redo their television deals in 2020.
The Cubs plan under Ricketts has not shown that it is in "win now" mode like the Detroit Tigers. It pans the opposite conclusion. Trade away veterans, including an entire starting rotation, to stock the system with prospects, hoping that a few will pan out. Sell the concept of "hope" to loyal but beaten down fan base. Keep the media drumbeat of things are turning around at high levels of excitement.
Even high school cheerleaders back down when their team is losing by four touchdowns late in the 4th quarter.
