The Cubs are sending out postseason invoices to season ticket holders Wednesday afternoon, another sign that the team is in contention.
“October baseball at Wrigley is just a really, really special thing,” said Marquee 360 Senior Vice President Cale Vennum, who oversees Cubs ticketing. “And we’re hopeful that happens again this year.”
The Cubs entered play Wednesday one game back of the last National League Wild Card spot and 31⁄2 games back of the division-leading Brewers. For fans who are not season ticket holders, single game tickets will likely go on sale in about a month. There are also opportunities that fans on the season ticket holder waiting list can seize.
Wednesday marks the first time the Cubs have sent out postseason invoices since 2019, when the team went 11-16 in September and missed the playoffs. (The Cubs also played a Wild Card series in 2020, but fans weren’t allowed in the stands amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.)
The playoff format changed with the new collective bargaining agreement, so there are more potential games. But in general, Wild Card and NL Division Series prices are up about 7% compared to 2019, according to Vennum. For the NL Championship Series and World Series, it’s about a 3% increase. MLB has final approval on pricing. Season ticket holders will have until Sept. 15 to claim their postseason tickets.
“Access to postseason tickets is one of the greatest benefits of being a season ticket holder, and it’s the thing our season ticket holders look forward to the most,” Vennum said in a conversation with the Sun-Times. “And so we do our best to make the prices as approachable as possible, in conjunction with the league. So, there’s still postseason prices going into this postseason where the get-in price for the first round will be roughly $59.”
At the same time, the Cubs will be sending out invoices for the 2024 season, so season ticket holders can factor in those costs while weighing the price of postseason tickets. Season ticket prices for next year are increasing by an average of about 3%, Vennum said — ranging from 0.9% to 4.8%, depending on the section.
Because the Cubs lowered season ticket prices by about 5% between 2022 and this season, average costs will still be below 2022 prices.
The simultaneous rollout also gives season ticket holders the option to put any unplayed postseason games toward next year, crediting them to their accounts and forgoing a first payment in October for 2024 season tickets. Those who don’t purchase postseason tickets, or choose to be refunded for unplayed games, have until mid-October to commit to 2024 with a deposit.
The Cubs will be reaching out to fans on the season ticket holder waiting list later this week. Those who put down a deposit for 2024 season tickets will also receive priority access to playoff tickets this year, before single-game tickets go on sale.
The Cubs continue their quest for a postseason berth Wednesday evening against the White Sox at Wrigley Field.
