text: With the lockout persisting for several weeks more, there's not much to *DO* with this information just yet, and we have already been expecting that the Cubs would spend quite a bit more when the offseason begins again (though it's debatable whether it'll be a big ticket spend, or a lot of shorter-term, one-off deals). But I still wanted to share, because it was pretty interesting to me.
  MLB Trade Rumors looked at all 30 teams' currently-projected Opening Day payroll as compared to their high water mark for Opening Days in recent years. Guess which team is currently the farthest below their high water mark?
  No, not the Cubs. It's the Orioles, at a whopping $103 million under ($61 million right now, $164 million in 2017). BUT the Cubs are number two, at $89 million under ($114 million right now, $203 million in 2019). We don't expect the Cubs to go over $200 million to open the 2022 season (for both competitive reasons and revenue reasons (whether you like them or not)), but it's still quite a reminder of how little the Cubs have on the books right now, even after the Marcus Stroman, Yan Gomes, and Clint Frazier signings. There is still so much they could do, and even if they aren't thinking 2022 is a guaranteed competitive year, there's little reason not to at least sign a huge number of quality short-term deals.
  Man, I really hope Offseason Part Two is not just a hurried one-week period before Spring Training starts in early March or something. The Cubs figure to be very active in that period, and it would be nice if we had, like, two weeks to digest it, rather than just a few days.
  Then again, those two days before the lockout sure were nuts. That can be fun, too …
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