The Cubs sent renewal invoices to their season ticket holder base this weekend and took the unique route of asking several thousand of their customers to just go ahead and make their checks out to “Alfonso Soriano in care of the Chicago Cubs.”
“After our miserable 2011 campaign and less-than-promising prospects for 2012 we theoretically should be lowering prices to meet demand, but contracts like Alfonso Soriano’s have us in a tough spot financially,” said Cubs VP of Ticket Sales & Service Colin Faulkner in a letter that accompanied approximately 3,500 season ticket invoices this weekend. “And to prove we’re not just using this as an excuse, please go ahead and make your check out to ‘Alfonso Soriano in care of the Chicago Cubs.'”
Faulkner said the unique decision would allow the Cubs the hassle of cashing millions of dollars of checks only to turn around and immediately write new checks to Soriano, who is due $18 million a season for the next three years.
Upon hearing the news, Soriano was reportedly upset at the minor inconvenience of having to cash a few thousand checks for several thousand dollars each rather than twice-monthly checks for approximately $700,000 a piece before taxes, insurance, Social Security, child support and any other deductions he might have.
“The people don’t understand how hard it will be to cash all these checks,” said Soriano. “I mean, not for me, but my accounting team. And they’ll charge me extra for all the work. I don’t know how I’m going to get by anymore.”
