After First Playoff Season in 5 Years, What’s Next for the Cubs?
Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, left, and right fielder Seiya Suzuki sit in the dugout after losing to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5 of the National League Division Series on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at American Family Field in Milwaukee. (PC: Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS)
The MLB postseason is well underway with the League Championship series starting for both the American League and National League teams.
Unfortunately for Chicago Cubs fans, the Cubbies will not be flying any W flags during this series after being eliminated from playoff contention in Milwaukee on Oct. 11, losing 1-3 against the Milwaukee Brewers. After eliminating the San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card series, the Cubs were unable to overcome the Brewers in a nail-biting series that went 5 games.
Overall, the Cubs had a great season. They had their best regular season record since 2018, winning 92 games and losing 70. They also clinched the playoffs for the first time since 2020, securing a wild card spot on Sept. 17 after an 8-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
They also clinched home field advantage on Sept. 27 after a win against their archrivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs went on to face the Padres at Wrigley Field in the NL Wild Card, winning 2 out of 3 games.
The NLDS, however, was a different story. The Cubs lost the first 2 games in Milwaukee after lackluster starts from Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga. Going back to Chicago, the series completely flipped, giving fans some hope.
The Cubs won the next two games with power from Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki, but it wasn’t enough to take the series after the Brewers took game 5 to cap the series.
Now that their season is over, let’s look at what went right for the north siders this year, as well as what went wrong. The Cubs’ offense was among the best in the MLB this season. They ranked fifth in runs scored, sixth in home runs, and sixth in on-base percentage.
Another bright spot for the Cubs were the breakout seasons of center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and rookie infielder Michael Busch, who is a strong contender for NL Rookie of the Year. Pitching wise, another standout was Cade Horton, who recorded an 11-4 record and ended his season with a 2.67 ERA. Horton was injured before the playoffs began.
The loss of ace starter Justin Steele in April hurt the team badly, as the Cubs before May were down a lefty arm. Shota Imanaga also had inconsistencies with giving up home runs.
The offense also cooled off after the All-Star Break, with key players such as PCA and Busch going into slumps. PCA especially struggled during the postseason, only batting .183 with no home runs and 3 RBIs.
Kyle Tucker proved himself a stand-out downside for the team. The Cubs acquired Tucker from the Houston Astros for Cam Smith last offseason, hoping that he would be the superstar that they needed to propel the team to a deep postseason run. He had a solid first half of the season, batting .280 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs. However, like PCA, Tucker’s offensive output declined significantly after the All-Star Break, partially due to a hand injury he sustained.
After the break, Tucker’s average dropped to .230, with only 5 home runs and 17 RBIs. He also struggled in the postseason, hitting only one homer for his only RBI in October.
Now that the season’s over, what should the Cubs do this offseason to try and improve the team?
I would let Kyle Tucker walk. His production this year was simply not good enough to justify the $500 million contract he wants. Also, I would decline Shota Imanaga’s $57 million option. He was just too inconsistent this season, and the issues with home runs and hard contact are impossible to ignore.
One player the Cubs absolutely need to go after this winter is Kyle Schawrber, who had 132 RBIs and 56 home runs in 2025. It would also be sort of a homecoming, as Schwarber was a member of the 2016 World Series team.