Cubs chairman dismisses claims that collusion at heart of quiet free agency

Major League Baseball's offseason, which is also known by the catchy nickname of the Hot Stove, has been icicle-like this year with more than 100 free agents yet to be signed.

While many theories - such as teams trying to stay under the luxury tax and a weak free-agent class - have arisen as to why the offseason has been so slow, conspiracy theorists have mentioned collusion at an ownership level. Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts says that is not the case.

"There’s nothing to it," Ricketts told Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. "I think everyone just has finite resources. They’re looking at the playing field for the market and they’re all making whatever decision they want to make for their teams."

While the trade market has had some activity with Giancarlo Stanton and Andrew McCutchen, among others, switching teams, the Cubs are one of a few organizations that have invested a substantial amount of money into free agents this offseason, spending $82 million to bolster their roster. The Colorado Rockies ($114.5 million) and the Philadelphia Phillies ($94.25 million) have also been generous.

"I think we’re just seeing a lot of teams out there would rather have dry powder a year from now," Ricketts said. "The luxury tax is a component. Also, I think people don’t realize that a lot of times the last few years there’ll be a TV deal somewhere or some other team gets a slug of money from some other pocket. There aren’t like those kind of fresh revenues this year. So there’s a lot of pieces and parts, but ultimately I think teams are just trying to keep their powder dry."

The 2018 offseason is expected to be much more active when an impressive pool of players including Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Josh Donaldson are set to hit the open market.