The Chicago Cubs know what is at stake this year. The pressure only mounts for an organization trying to return to the playoffs for the first time in a 162-game season since 2018. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer made a splash last month when the Cubs acquired one of the best hitters in the game, outfielder Kyle Tucker, to give them the type of dynamic player that was missing from the lineup. Reaching the postseason is again the expectation this year, and from Chairman Tom Ricketts’ perspective, the National League Central Division title should run through Chicago. “I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t be favored this year,” Ricketts told the Tribune on Saturday at the Cubs Convention. “I think that Jed (Hoyer) had a great offseason addressing the needs that we had, and we’re healthy. We have a great manager, we have a really solid lineup all the way across, a little more depth than last year. I think we should win the division.” Ricketts had the same belief in the Cubs’ division hopes last spring training before they fell short of the postseason with a second consecutive 83-win season, 10 games back of the division-winning Milwaukee Brewers. As the Cubs focus on improving their bullpen and bench in the coming weeks, the organization is approximately $40 million under the Competitive Balance Tax, which is set at $241 million for 2025. Ricketts expects the Cubs’ 2025 payroll likely will end up “CBTish, más o menos (more or less).” “But we don’t get too specific because it’s a little bit of a competitive disadvantage to talk about it,” Ricketts said. “But in the range of one of the top payroll teams, not the Dodgers or Mets or Yankees, but in that next group.” The Cubs were one of nine teams to go over the CBT in 2024 though paid the fewest amount in their tax payment ($570,309) after ending up roughly $2.85 million above the first tier. For the Cubs, this also carries a penalty of losing their second- and fifth-highest picks in July’s draft, as well as $1 million from their 2025 international bonus pool if they were to sign a free agent this offseason who was given a qualifying offer. Four such players remain unsigned: first baseman Pete Alonso, third baseman Alex Bregman, outfielder Anthony Santander and right-hander Nick Pivetta. When it comes to spending at the top level, the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees led the way last year, all seeing their CBT payroll exceed $300 million. “We’re still way behind financially from the Dodgers and the Yankees, and obviously the Mets have outside resources through their owner, and what I say to Jed and the guys is, like, we can’t do anything about that,” Ricketts said. “Let’s just put our best team on the field. We have enough resources to win our division. And in baseball, if you get to the playoffs you have as good a chance as any other team in the playoffs and making the World Series. Just try to be consistent, try to make the playoffs. “I think we have all the resources to win. We can’t worry about what the Dodgers or Mets do.” Photos: 2025 Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk Coming off a World Series title, the Dodgers added to an already talented rotation with Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki announcing his decision Friday to join the team from Nippon Professional Baseball. Hoyer said it was disappointing the Cubs weren’t among the finalists after meeting with the phenom. Despite falling short, Ricketts is hopeful the team will have more Japanese players in the future to continue a history with players from that country, most notably Kosuke Fukudome (2008-11) and currently Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga. Related Articles Chicago Cubs | Photos: 2025 Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk Chicago Cubs | Jake Burger will wear No. 21 with the Texas Rangers for his daughter born with Down syndrome Chicago Cubs | What ‘mistakes’ did Sammy Sosa apologize for? The retired Chicago Cubs slugger says it wasn’t PED use. Chicago Cubs | Column: Sammy Sosa hogs the spotlight at the Cubs Convention, but Jed Hoyer’s future remains a hot topics for fans Chicago Cubs | What we heard at the Cubs Convention: 2025 roster not complete — and Dansby Swanson is healthy heading into camp The big-spending Dodgers landing Sasaki, who was restricted to being signed to international bonus pool money, feels like a rich-get-richer situation. “They obviously have more resources than other teams do, and some of that was just good business decisions they made a few years ago with their television contract,” Ricketts said. “Nothing I can do about it. All we can do is just put the best team on the field we can and win our division. “I don’t know why Sasaki made the decision he did exactly. But I would imagine that it had a lot to do with the fact the Dodgers have a high profile in Japan and most of their games are on television there. And so they have a natural advantage in that too. Can’t do anything about it, just have to keep worrying about yourself.” The Cubs were never involved in the pursuit of superstar Juan Soto over the offseason with the 26-year-old outfielder ultimately signing a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets. The organization hasn’t shown an appetite for a willingness to delve into the upper echelon of megadeals. Ricketts reiterated Saturday that he lets Hoyer and the baseball operations department recommend what they want to do with the available financial resources. “Jed knows what we have,” Ricketts said. “He knows what we have this year. He knows what we’re likely to have the next few years. So he can kind of balance that out as he sees fit. Some of those contracts are obviously pretty large — $765 million over 15 years for Juan Soto. I mean, our family paid $800 million for a perpetuity of the Cubs. When you think about it, it’s kind of crazy. “I’m open-minded to it, what the baseball guys would like to do with those kind of budgets. But you always have to remember that you get to spend every dollar once and you might feel great about a 15-year contract for the first five years. The last 10 years might be pretty rough. You just don’t know so there’s always a trade-off and a balance there.” Former Cubs star Sammy Sosa discusses his batting grip during a Q-and-A with Ian Happ during the Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk on Jan. 18, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) As the Cubs move forward, they begin 2025 by welcoming back franchise icon Sammy Sosa. The slugger, who apologized for past “mistakes” in a statement last month, said Friday that he wasn’t referencing performance-enhancing drugs. He was introduced to a raucous crowd during the opening night of the convention Friday when Ricketts announced Sosa and first baseman Derrek Lee will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame this summer. “We kind of inherited this Sammy situation from 2004, and it’s always been a goal to put it behind us,” Ricketts said. “And I think that this year, the timing was right, and I think Sammy was in the right place, and it all worked out so I’m just happy.”