The Cubs are headed toward October, and the path there looks far steadier than the one they stumbled through last year. Barring a collapse that would somehow outdo the 2023 team’s late-season fade, Chicago is going to be playing meaningful baseball in the playoffs.
That outcome fits the way this roster was built. The Cubs went after upgrades last offseason with the signing of Alex Bregman and the trade for Edward Cabrera, then stayed busy at the deadline. They also have the National League MVP favorite in Pete Crow-Armstrong, which gives the whole operation a different ceiling.
If there’s one reason to feel good about the Cubs in the postseason, it starts with the offense. That wasn’t the case last summer, but it is now. Chicago has one of the best attacks in baseball, and the numbers back it up: the Cubs have the highest wRC+ in the sport for the full season and for the second half.
Crow-Armstrong is a big part of that, but Bregman has been just as important in changing the feel of the lineup. Since the All-Star break, he’s slashing .296/.369/.570 with a wRC+ of 158. Add in Seiya Suzuki topping last year’s power output, and the Cubs have the kind of offense that can travel in October.
The pitching staff is still the side that will likely determine how deep this team can go. Chicago made pitching the priority at the deadline, and the staff is better now than it was before those moves. But there is real concern in the rotation picture, and the recent form of Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga has made things messier.
Boyd has allowed a 6.12 ERA over his last four starts, and that hasn’t been the product of bad luck. His FIP over that stretch is also 6.12.
Imanaga, meanwhile, has seen his velocity dip in three of his last four outings, and Craig Counsell had a short leash for him on Sunday. The Cubs probably won’t settle their playoff rotation until the final week of the regular season, but they need at least one of those two to be a reliable October piece.
Then there’s the biggest unknown of all: Dansby Swanson. He was the difference-maker for the Cubs in last year’s Wild Card series against the San Diego Padres, a reminder of how much defense matters when the games tighten up. Right now, Swanson is working back from an oblique strain and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks, which puts his return around the start of the playoffs.
That timeline is still just an estimate until he resumes baseball activity. And while Nico Hoerner is a good defensive shortstop, the Cubs know the gap between good and great can matter when October baseball starts. If run prevention is going to carry real weight for Chicago again, Swanson’s status will be one of the defining storylines.
In Other News...
Cubs Add Veteran Catching Depth As One Roster Question Looms
The Cubs have added another layer of catching insurance, signing veteran Austin Wynns to a minor league contract and sending him to Triple-A Iowa. After being outrighted by the Texas Rangers and electing free agency, Wynns gives Chicago an experienced option behind the clubs major league catchers as the season moves toward its stretch run.
Wynns also arrives with a practical benefit that matters this time of year: he would be eligible for postseason play if the Cubs add him to the roster before September. With the calendar tightening and roster questions always lurking at catcher, the move gives Chicago a little more flexibility while leaving the bigger decision in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Brown Setback Leaves Cubs With A Stretch Run Problem
Ben Browns return was already shaping up as one of the more important health watch items on the Cubs late-season docket, and now it has taken a step in the wrong direction. The right-hander had been working back from a stress reaction in his neck, but live bullpen sessions brought the symptoms back and made them worse, forcing the team to slow things down and rethink the plan.
The Cubs said Brown will travel back with the club to consult with doctors, which pushes any possibility of a 2025 return farther down the road. For a team trying to balance the stretch run with the bigger picture, the focus now shifts to making sure the recovery path protects Browns long-term health, even if it leaves Chicago with one less pitching option in the short term. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Offseason Could Decide More Than Just Seiya Suzuki's Future
The Cubs head into the offseason in an enviable spot on paper, with an offense that has carried real weight and a pitching staff that has taken meaningful steps forward in 2026. There is room to maneuver, too, with payroll flexibility giving the front office a chance to shape the roster without having to tear anything down first. For a team trying to keep pace in a crowded National League field, that kind of breathing room matters.
Seiya Suzuki sits at the center of the conversation, but he is hardly the only decision hanging over the winter. Chicago also has to keep looking at the rotation, where adding starting pitching remains a priority if the club wants to turn regular-season strength into something more durable. The appeal of using that financial flexibility to keep Suzuki and upgrade the staff is obvious, though how aggressively the Cubs choose to chase both goals will say plenty about where they see the roster headed next. [Read more 🡒]