The White Sox' attendance in '14 ranked 28th out of MLB's 30 teams and "marked the Sox's lowest full-season ticket sales" since '99, according to Danny Ecker of CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS. Ticket sales are down 26% since '10. The team yesterday capped the regular season "in front of a crowd of 32,266, bringing final home paid attendance to 1,650,821, an average of 20,896 per game over 79 days of baseball at U.S. Cellular Field." The club "drew more than 30,000 fans -- roughly the league average -- only five times this season, down from six times last season." The White Sox this season "tried early on to draw crowds by touting its retooled lineup, led by the breakout season of Rookie of the Year favorite Jose Abreu." White Sox P Chris Sale "was another marketing centerpiece, with the Sox creating the 'K Zone for Sale' seats down the left field line, a section that doubled in size in May." The club also "based the entire September promotional calendar" on the retirement of longtime 1B Paul Konerko (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 9/28). Meanwhile, in Chicago, Colleen Kane notes the White Sox have less than $50M "committed to payroll next season before arbitration." Team GM Rick Hahn said that this "puts the team in a pretty good spot financially." Hahn: "We've managed to create some economic flexibility going into the offseason. We can deploy that via free agency or via trade and really not be precluded from any opportunities due to economic reasons" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/29).
ON THE NORTH SIDE: In Chicago, Gordon Wittenmyer reported the Cubs' plan for next season "figures to include a very active search for pitching during the winter, with payroll flexibility boosted by big contracts falling off the books" and $20M in "firewalled savings by baseball ops" from its '14 budget. Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein: "The big mechanism by which we’ll realize significantly more revenue is really the TV deal. And the Wrigley improvements will help move the needle. But the paradigm shifter is really the TV deal." The Cubs have yet to announce broadcast plans for '15 and "don’t figure to be able to deliver results" on any new massive TV deal until they "have their entire schedule to sell" -- which will happen after their Comcast SportsNet deal runs out after '19. All of this "leaves the Cubs’ financial progress better measured in inches [rather] than miles until the TV picture clears up" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/27).
