Chicago Cubs Owner Doesn’t Hold Back Disappointment in Letter to Fans

In his annual letter to the fans, Chicago Cubs chairman and owner Tom Ricketts expressed disappointment for the 2024 campaign.

Apr 2, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cubs owner Tom Ricketts on the field before the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. / David Banks-Imagn Images

The 2024 MLB season did not go how the Chicago Cubs were hoping that it would.

After winning 83 games last season and hiring Craig Counsell as manager, optimism was high. Alas, they were unable to build off of that positive momentum, as they finished with an identical number of victories.

Despite the outcome, owner and chairman Tom Ricketts still sent his letter to the fans as he does every year. He let it be known just how disappointing of a campaign this was for everyone involved.

“There is no way to sugarcoat it – this is not where we planned to finish the season. Like our fans, we had high expectations for our team this year and early victories delivered hope for postseason baseball. But inconsistent play and injuries upended that promise, leading us into a hole too deep to recover from despite another second half surge. Bottom line, we did not play a complete season of competitive baseball. As a result, we have again missed the most exciting and exhilarating month of the season – October,” the start of the letter read, via Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation.

Early season struggles from the bullpen were tough to overcome, but eventually, they got things figured out in that regard. Where the team struggled consistently was at the plate.

It was too little too late for some veterans who eventually found their groove in August and down the stretch. But, Ricketts says the appropriate measures will be taken to put the team on the right track.

After finishing 10 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, he made it clear moves are being made so that the Cubs can once again sit atop the division.

“The work is underway to close the gap to make the Cubs a perennial playoff team. Our baseball operations staff is redoubling its efforts to build a team that consistently plays in the postseason and delivers the promise of sustained success to Cubs fans.”

He made mention of the elite farm system the team has developed, as they have eight players listed in the top 100 of the MLB Pipeline list. That is the most of any team in baseball.

Ricketts also spoke highly of the development of players on the major league roster. Shota Imanaga, Porter Hodge, Nate Pearson, Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ were all singled out for their positive production during the season.

That group, along with the players on the way in the minor leagues, does present the franchise with a strong foundation to build upon. The future is bright in Chicago, as Ricketts’ end-of-year letter to the fans should start being more positive in the coming years.

A touching part of the letter was written for Ryne Sandberg, as a massive amount of money was raised through Cubs for a Cure to help in his battle against cancer.

“Before we turn the page on this season, I also want to thank you for helping us recognize Ryne Sandberg this year. For many of us, Ryno’s play defined an era, and his statue unveiling was a once-in-a-lifetime tribute to a true Cubs legend. Ryne and Margaret are forever a part of our Cubs family, and it was important for us to stand in support of his fight against cancer by hosting Cubs for a Cure this year, which helped raise $1 million to battle this terrible disease.”