The Cubs’ season ended with a bullpen problem that never really went away.
After finishing the regular season with enough offense and defense to look like a team built for a long October run, Chicago still got bounced quickly by the Padres in a two-game Wild Card Series. The Cubs scored just one run in San Diego, and the home crowd behind the Padres helped turn the series into a short, ugly exit for Craig Counsell’s club.
That outcome wasn’t just about one bad week. Chicago had chances to set itself up better long before October arrived.
The Cubs spent stretches of the season on top of the division, but they also hit extended losing skids that undercut their push. Their late collapse against the Brewers - going 2-5 in the final two matchups between the clubs - did plenty of damage too.
There was plenty of blame to spread around, and the postseason showed it. Even Pete Crow-Armstrong, coming off a 40-40 season, couldn’t carry the Cubs through. But if the front office is ranking the issues that matter most this winter, one problem sits above the rest.
It’s the bullpen.
Chicago’s relief corps kept showing up as the weak link. The Cubs were elite everywhere else: No. 3 in run differential, No. 1 in runs per game, No. 6 in batting average, No. 3 in home runs per game, and first in the league in total plate appearances and runs per game. The defense also finished first in multiple categories.
The bullpen never matched that standard. Too many blown saves.
Too many runs allowed. Too many games slipping away because the late innings didn’t hold.
The relievers’ 3.90 ERA was middle-of-the-road, but in October, that kind of number often isn’t enough.
Jed Hoyer has shown he’ll spend when the situation calls for it, and the Alex Bregman contract is the clearest example. That move was a major addition for the organization and paid off in the second half. But since Hoyer took over as team president in 2020, the Cubs haven’t made many big bullpen additions.
That doesn’t mean spending automatically fixes everything. The Hunter Harvey deal, worth $6.0 million, and Phil Maton’s two-year, $14.5 million contract are reminders that even paid-for help can miss. Still, Chicago can’t ignore the need any longer.
The Cubs also began leaning toward that reality in the 2026 draft by targeting arms. With the farm system slowly adding pitching depth, the next step has to come at the Major League level.
Young pitchers can be the insurance policy, the developmental pool, the injury cover. The bullpen upgrade for the big club has to come through free agency.
That’s the path forward for a team that expects to be in the race again. If the Cubs want to make another playoff trip and do something with it, the bullpen has to be fixed first. The Padres just showed how much that side of the roster can matter.
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Pete Crow-Armstrong Just Put Cubs Fans On Notice About October
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Crow-Armstrong was blunt about his role in the setback, acknowledging that he did not contribute in October the way he had hoped after a strong year. For a young player whose growth has helped shape the Cubs outlook, the series served as an early reminder that regular-season production does not always carry over when the calendar flips, and he made clear the disappointment was as personal as it was team-wide. [Read more 🡒]
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Several familiar names are already part of the offseason conversation, with Matthew Boyd, Kevin Gausman, Hunter Harvey and others mentioned as possible departures or trade candidates. For a front office that has spent the year trying to balance present value with longer-term planning, the real challenge may be deciding which pieces are worth carrying into 2027 and which ones are better used to reshape the roster before the Brewers edge feels even wider. [Read more 🡒]