Every discussion about the Cubs’ potential pursuit of this free agent or that trade target inevitably comes back to how much you think they’re going to spend. Many remain convinced they’ll take the cheap route and force Craig Counsell to manage the same sort of roster he had all those years in Milwaukee. Others believe the manager wouldn’t have taken the job without some assurance that ownership would flex a little more financial muscle.
Team leadership has expressed a willingness to spend on more than one occasion already this offseason, painting the organization further into a corner when it comes to building a winner.