Cubs owner Tom Ricketts knows there’s only so much they can do when trying to compete with the spending abilities of teams such as the Mets, the Yankees and the Dodgers. There’s only so much Ricketts can do with trying to attract stars with comparable contracts while still breaking even in the end.

One of the over-arching questions about Chicago’s winter plans is exactly how much Hoyer had available to spend, and chairman Tom Ricketts addressed this point.