Don't forget the impact of any possible extensions (Nico, PCA) that would further eat into that remaining money.
Maybe this is the year that Tom signs off on going into luxury tax territory. They will have a ton of money coming off the books ahead of whatever happens in 2027, so it would be easy to get back down under the tax again, especially if they fill out the roster with several bullpen arms on 1 year deals.
I guess Cubs ownership hasn't shown anything to make us think they would do that, but if there was ever a season where they could do it with minimal risk to future payrolls, this would be the one.