So this is total speculation on my part, and I admit I am a bear of very little brain, but it seems to me that Disney can go one of two ways with their pricing philosophy - a low-price/margin, high volume approach which keeps ticket prices low and promotes higher attendance that will at the same time increase expenses in the park, increase the wear and tear on attractions, and inevitably lead to folks complaining in various forms of social media that crowds in the parks are insane, lines are too long, and that their personal experience was not "magical". We have all seen the pics of Main Street at DL and WDW when the crowds are so insane that people are crammed in shoulder to shoulder. (Ugh!) It also forces Disney to hire more cast members to maintain the parks and to allow for their operation day-to-day.
Or, on the other hand, they can opt for a higher price/higher margin model that will reduce traffic in the parks, reduce their overhead and expenses, and ultimately improve the guest experience by offering shorter wait times in restaurants and on attractions. And on top of that, guests who are willing to pay more for a ticket also invariably spend more in the parks on food and merchandise.
Granted this is a spectrum - I know they fall somewhere between these 2 poles, but I'd be willing to wager a Dole Whip that this is a calculated effort to push toward the lower attendance but higher margin per guest model. It isn't greed, or a cash grab, or a thoughtless act by Disney. (I get kind of annoyed when people suggest that this is not a well-thought through move by Disney. It was. There is a plan here.) And if they want fewer AP holders, and this is how they'll do it.