Cubs Insider Suggests Money Could Prevent Team from Being Deadline Buyers

Monday's slate of games only has six teams in action, giving the Chicago Cubs a much needed day off prior to a two week stretch which gets them to the All-Star break.

That time period is going to be telling about which direction this team is going to take before the July 30 trade deadline.

As it stands right now, the Cubs would likely be sellers, or at the very least non-buyers, based on their 39-46 record that puts them 11.5 games out of first place in the NL Central and five back in the Wild Card race.

While it looks bleak right now, a good stretch could get them right back into the playoff mix and completely change the direction this front office and organization will take.

On the other side, Chicago could find themselves so far back that they sell off some pieces.

If the Cubs are able to turn things around and start winning games at a consistent rate, then they could be facing a decision to add players for the back stretch to make a playoff push.

However, Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation thinks finances would prevent them from doing so.

"But there's another reason the Cubs might sell ... Money! Er, well, future money," he writes.

The insider explains they are right up against the first level of the luxury tax threshold that sits at $237 million. Depending on the different cap projection sites, Chicago has anywhere from $2-5 million in room before hitting that number. That could also shrink based on bonuses and other roster changes that might be coming later in the year.

For a team out of the playoff picture, becoming a buyer never makes sense, but if this team is able to get back into the mix like they did last season, then the thought process about what Jed Hoyer and his staff do should also change.

After all, they said they wanted to build a contender this year during the offseason.

It would only make sense that if the Cubs are able to get into the playoffs, then the front office would give this group every possible chance of making that happen.

Yet, Cerami thinks that might not be the case.

"Now, we can debate whether the Cubs actually have any intention of going over the luxury tax next season. And frankly, it seems more likely that they will not. Not only has the bottom tier of the luxury tax been floated as a sort of soft ceiling for this organization (sigh), but the Cubs also have a good amount of money coming off the books as is," he adds.

All in all, it sounds like Chicago won't be adding players at the deadline, either because their record is going to be too bad, or because they just don't want to spend the money.

Either scenario is a frustrating result.