Hello Cubs World,
I had to jump into this conversation. 
As a Business Professor, I’m always looking for the bottom-line opportunities. 

Here’s my suggestions, based on all the news I’ve read on this matter:
1) Pinstripes is the Late Season Look

The new home uniform has visual appeal on television, but is a bit less popular with merchandising, for a few reasons. First, when we think of the Fall Classic, we can only ever picture our teams in their most “formal looking” attire. Pinstripes feels like we are dressed to win, like a tuxedo. Second, all the dominant franchises have a uniform that commands this sense of formality – think of the Yankees and Dodgers, and how “classic” they look. Third, fans are conservative because they skew older in baseball than i some other sports. They like reminiscing over good times. Fourth, pinstripes at home after the All-Star game, and in post-season. New uniform at home in preseason and before the All-Star game. The old uniform feels like Fall, and playoff runs. 

2) The Blues is an Early Season Look

Many teams have been experimenting with “ultramodern” looks, largely because of experimentation with high performance synthetic fibers. Frankly, it’s easier to make something look like artificial colors when using artificial materials.  Second, younger fans tend to like such artificial colors over earthier, natural colors. They are more neuro-stimulating/psychedelic, and they look more like animation and video game colors. Third, Spring makes us thing about bright colors, newness, progress, and intentional change. Every team is finding itself anew in the Spring. We are hoping for our team to come together and look like a squad worthy of a playoff run. The blue sky offers us a metaphor for possibilities.   

3) More Money? Better Symbolism 

Most people get tattoos, or choose their wardrobes, to signify some important meaning. Fans could really get into the double meaning of “the possibilities of Spring” versus the “winner-take all” contest of the Fall. This way, you’re selling two looks for parts of the year to fans, with both having deep significance. The fans would also be encouraged to participate in this symbolism. Hey, most of the success of Japanese baseball is how they treat the whole fan experience like a meaningful ritual to unite a region of the country, not too different from their folk ritual holiday events. Same with soccer clubs around the world. If you want to raise revenues and intensify the loyalty, increase the excitement, the team bonding, and the team lore with better fan rituals and symbols. Make the symbols represent things at a deeper level. The Spring Squad must find their Identity, and the Fall Squad must get to work deploying the best version of that identity. Win-Win. It nets the club more merch money when the fans en masse make the merch switch mid-season every year.

Every year the spring look can evolve, but the fall classic look would stay very similar over time

4) Ball-Players Choose the Hat Logos? 

In addition, make the hat logo change every year, even in subtle ways, to be vintage of that year. My preferred idea would be to sell 5 versions of the hat logo, each labeled on the back of the hat as the “Preseason, Pre-All Star, Post-All Star, Postseason, and World Series” variants of the logo. My simple suggestion is that the logo would slightly evolve during the season to show how the team has “leveled up”. Similar to how a military officer is awarded more stripes, the logo could be awarded a different “flair” to it. The team only hits its 4th stage of evolution if it makes the post-season, and 5th stage at World Series, but would always hit the first 3 stages.

I know for awhile, everyone thought that fans should vote on everything. But sometimes, there’s good reasons to do it differently. The identity of the 40 man roster should be celebrated as much as possible to create a bond with the fans. The 40-man roster of a given year should choose it OWN logo from a list of suggestions that they think fits their squad. The 40-man squad would vote on the annual hat logo, and its progression designs, 10 days before their first Spring Training Game. Any player who comes into later stages of the team, via trade or returning from injury, will get the uniform of that stage, but not of any stages they missed.  

5) Annual Team Captains?

I believe that after 2026, MLB teams should have captains, who are the spirit leaders of the team. They are voted on by the 40 man players on the roster shortly before the Regular season starts. Players vote for players, pitchers vote for pitchers. 2 votes, split between two different candidates, from the Head Coach and Bench Coach. 1 vote each for the Pitching Coach, Hitting Coach; and, one hitting candidate from the 1st and 3rd Base coaches, and 1 vote for 1 pitching candidate from 2 top pitching assistant managers (50 votes total). There should be 2 captains – one on the field (25 votes), one in the bullpen (25 votes).

The main requirements are that both Captains must have been with the major league club for at least 1 full year prior of service, providing evidence of team leadership qualities. In the first year of captainhood, a player must contracted for at least 1 more year of service or possess a player or club option year for the next year. A player should be able to serve as a repeat captain, however, if they are entering the last year of contract. Thus, the Captain cannot be a short-term “mercenary” player. Voters are encouraged to not automatically pick the player with the highest projected WAR, but the player who is the morale leader of the team for “rallying rituals” during the game or speaking to the press. For position players it may default to being a vote-off of a starting catcher and a shortstop in the rare instance nobody qualifies the contract length requirement’ or, the nominated “ace starter” regardless of playing service as the default pitching captain. The Captain’s Jersey will have a Captain designation for that year. If the Captain is traded by the fall trade deadline, or if they are placed on the 60-day injured list, another Captain may be selected immediately. 

Cubs Captains in 2025 would definitely include Shota Imanaga (The obvious fan favorite) and probably include Dansby Swanson (the heart of the defense and the longest contracted Cub). A case could be made that Ian Happ or Nico Hoerner would steal the vote from underneath Swanson, because Happ is media savvy and Hoerner is considered a bench leader. However, in 2026, Kyle Tucker could easily steal that designation if we sign him. 

Because team Captains are expected to speak first on the microphone at major club activities, and to be a leader with public relations, they would receive 100k to donate to a charity of their choosing within their home State, and 100k in personal income bonus for every captain selection they have earned, pegged to inflation increases. The league would pay for this; in addition to paying for a basic PR campaign to introduce all the Opening Day team captains to the public every year. 

In addition, AA and AAA teams should also have captains with captain bonuses of 25k for charity, 25k income for non 40 -man roster players with at least 1 year of club service. Designated captains could be traded or promoted but not cut in the year they are designated captains. They could not be promoted before June 1 or traded before July 1.  

Only 2 new captains can be selected each year to replace promoting, traded, or 60 day injured players at either the minor or major league level. They still get the same financial bonuses if they serve for at least 25 games. Replaced minor league captains could not be promoted or traded at all for that year, without paying an additional 200k bonus to the new captain and 200k to the minor league club’s charitable donations, and captains who finish the year in that role would cost an extra 200k to take in the following Rule 5 Draft. 
 
Conclusion
I think this is a BANGER IDEA, and would set a trend in the league. I should be hired by the league to prove why this would increase revenues and fan engagement. It provides another level of “baseball lore” for fans to unite over. IT would make all uniforms uniquely collectible for each of the 5 stages of the season. It would greatly encourage fans to wear the proper gear in the two sides of the season, and the proper hat from each of the 5 stages of competitive evolution (although I would restrict the Postseason and World Series sales to 2 types of fans – those who attended postseason/world series games, and those who had proof of purchase of the prior hats of the season).

It would also encourage fans to buy more early and late stage gear to prove their loyalty and standing as fans. It would greatly increase sales and increase team morale/loyalty. Finally, fans wearing the matching kit and/or hat for the right part of the current season, when attending live, would always receive a gift at the gate, EVERY TIME they attend – such as a free bobblehead doll of a non-star on the 26 man roster, a $7 food voucher, a stadium towel, a vinyl bumper sticker, or 20% off any merchandise order at the stadium up to $100.