The Cubs are still in good shape on paper after getting swept by the Brewers, but the recent skid has made the margin for error feel a lot thinner. They’ve lost six of their last 10, the Phillies sit atop the National League Wild Card picture, and both the Padres and Diamondbacks have crept back into the conversation. The numbers still say Chicago is likely headed to the playoffs, but the last two weeks have left enough cracks to raise real concern about what happens if this keeps going.
If the Cubs want to avoid a September slide, the fixes have to come quickly, starting this weekend against the Pirates.
One move is simple: BJ Murray Jr. needs to go back to Triple-A Iowa. When he was part of the first wave of September call-ups, the idea was that he’d mostly be around for experience and a taste of the big leagues.
Instead, he’s ended up in meaningful spots, and that has not gone well. Over the next two weeks, the Cubs need the best players available, and Murray isn’t one of them right now.
Another roster decision is even more overdue. Caleb Thielbar should be designated for assignment.
If Edward Cabrera, Justin Steele, and Shelby Miller are back from the injured list in the next week or two, there’s no reason for Thielbar to stay. He’s struck out more than 29% of the hitters he’s faced, but the rest of the profile is ugly: a 4.89 ERA and more than two homers allowed per nine innings.
That’s not a recipe anyone wants to trust in October.
The Cubs also need Dansby Swanson back in the lineup. His bat has its flaws, but his glove is the kind of thing that matters in October.
Swanson remains one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball, and the Cubs have already seen how that can swing games in the postseason. With him at short, the team is simply better.
On the other side of the equation, Ian Happ needs to stay on the bench. He has only seven hits in his last 40 plate appearances and hasn’t produced an extra-base hit in that stretch.
It’s been a rough finish to the 2026 season for Happ, and one that probably says plenty about where things are headed next. For now, the better route is Tyrone Taylor in left field against left-handed pitchers, with Pedro Ramirez or Michael Conforto getting chances against righties.
Ramirez and Conforto come with defensive tradeoffs, but Happ can cover that later as a late-game replacement.
And then there’s Shelby Miller. The Cubs’ bullpen issues this month don’t have a clean answer, but Craig Counsell may need to get uncomfortable and make Miller the closer as soon as he’s back, if that happens before the regular season ends.
Miller closed for Arizona last season, and during his rehab assignment he’s been missing bats with a fastball sitting in the upper 90s. There’s no reason to ease him in.
If he’s ready, he should be handed the job immediately.
In Other News...
Craig Counsell Faces Growing Heat As Cubs' Real Problem Gets Harder To Ignore
Craig Counsell has spent much of the 2026 season absorbing the frustration that comes with managing a contending team in a big market, and the Cubs uneven stretch has only sharpened the criticism. Injuries to key pitchers have thinned the staff, and bullpen issues have turned too many late innings into trouble spots, leaving the job looking harder than it did when the year began.
Still, the bigger picture has kept the Cubs in the hunt, even as the noise around the manager has grown louder. Entering September with a strong playoff chance, they remain positioned to stay in the race, which is why the real issue around Wrigley feels less like one persons fault and more like a roster built to withstand fewer holes than it has had to face. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Pitching Gamble Looks Worse As Former Marlins Target Takes Off
Before the 2025 season, the Cubs backed away from trade talks for Jesus Luzardo because of medical concerns, choosing caution over the kind of upside that has long appealed to an organization trying to keep pace in a tough division. Luzardo wound up with the Phillies instead, and the move has only sharpened the hindsight for Chicago as he settled in quickly, performed at a high level and turned himself into an All-Star before landing a five-year extension.
The Cubs went another direction by bringing in Edward Cabrera from Miami, hoping he could supply the kind of rotation help they had passed on elsewhere. Instead, Cabreras 2026 results have been underwhelming, which leaves Chicago with an uncomfortable reminder of how thin the margin can be when health questions force a team to walk away from a deal it otherwise might have liked. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs May Have To Make A Tough Matt Shaw Decision
The Cubs are headed into an offseason with some real roster juggling to do, and the outfield is right at the center of it. With free agency creating holes, Chicago has to decide how to balance immediate needs against the long view, especially with Matt Shaw, a versatile young player who could fit in more than one place depending on how the front office wants to shape the roster.
Shaws flexibility gives the Cubs options, but it also puts him in the middle of a tougher conversation about value. He could be in line to compete for a starting outfield job, or he could become the kind of trade piece that helps Chicago chase the elite starting pitching it still needs, even though no specific deal has been lined up. [Read more 🡒]