They will have a number. The number will be their number. And that's it. If he can get more, he will be gone. Will it be a "competitive number"? Probably. But if we know one thing about them, it's that they don't move once they think they've maxed out. Jed doesn't seem to mind the AAV, but he minds the years. He echoes the Ricketts sentiment of not wanting to get into bad contracts over many years.
They will only sign guys to "fair" or "team-friendly" deals. They won't sign a player if they know he'll be worth significantly less than they pay for two or three years. It's not their DNA. They don't seem to care about winning as much as they do making horsefeathers tons of money, that's why they have Jed.
They don't seem to mind losing their shirts on ****** hotels and sports books. But that's what they have the Cubs for, to balance the books for them.