The promise of "massive cash flows from a new local TV deal is still years away, but the success" of this year’s Cubs team "could have the same impact on creating extra payroll flexibility next winter as squirreling away" $20M from the '14 budget had on last winter’s, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. A "sharp increase in attendance this year should more than cover that much additional room in next season’s budget." Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said, "Obviously, the lack of success on the field (in recent years) pushed the attendance number down, and I think we’re getting that number way back up." He added, "It will definitely go into the product on the field." Wittenmyer notes the Cubs could see $21M or more in increased spending ability "because of attendance alone." The payroll budgets "have remained flat" in '14 and '15, roughly $100M each year -- with the ’14 carryover creating, in effect, a $120M budget this season. Internal estimates "conservatively value each paid admission as worth more than $75 in gross revenues -- making that increase worth more than" $20.6M. Hoyer said that the front office "has a 'decent idea' what its budget might be heading into the offseason" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/9). In Chicago, Mark Gonzales noted the team is "on a pace to draw more than 2.9 million fans with 10 home dates left -- which would be an increase of more than 275,000 from the home attendance last year when the Cubs were 73-89 overall" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/9).
