The Chicago Cubs are coming off a strong 2025 season, which, for the first time in five years, provided fans with some playoff magic.
Last year, the Cubbies finished with a 92-70 record, which placed them second in the NL Central, five games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
Despite missing out on the division title, Chicago still managed to capture an NL Wild Card spot before enjoying some October success, beginning in the NL Wild Card Series, where they won a thrilling winner-take-all Game 3 with a 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field.
Next up was the Division Series, where Chicago put a big scare into the Brewers, who needed a winner-take-all Game 5 before eliminating the Cubbies with a 3-1 win.
Without question, the Cubs strengths is their offence which last year was led by the likes of first baseman Michael Busch (34 home runs, 90 RBIs), DH Seiya Suzuki (32 home runs, 103 RBIs), second baseman Nico Hoerner (178 hits) and outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (31 home runs, 95 RBI’s), to name just a few who contributed mightily to Chicago finishing first in hits and runs scored as they averaged 6.7 per game.
Chicago also had a strong pitching staff led by a 35-year-old veteran starter, Matthew Boyd, who finished the 2025 campaign with a 14-8 record, 3.21 ERA and 154 strikeouts.
Expect the Cubs to once again be in a heated pennant race this summer and to end up with about 93 wins while falling short once again of an NL Pennant.
Cubs O/U Projection of 88.5 Wins: Will Win Over 90 and Once Again Play October Baseball
Cubs Make a Statement By Spending to Sign All-Star Third Baseman Alex Bregman
Back on January 14, 2026, Cubs fans had reason to feel extremely optimistic as ownership signed three-time All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman to a five-year $175 milion dollar contract. with $70 million deferred.
Bregman, who is a two-time World Series Champion with the Houston Astros (2017, 2022), along with being a 2024 Gold Glove Award winner and a 2019 Silver Slugger Award winner, dealt with injuries last year, as this 32 year-old, who played for the Boston Red Sox managed in 114 games, to mash 18 home runs, 62 RBIs while scoring 64 runs and hitting at a .273 clip.
Naturally his leadership, stellar defense on the hot corner and consistent bat will be a huge boost to the Cubs.
This signing replaces the power of outfielder Kyle Tucker, who, after hitting 22 home runs and driving in 73 runs during his only season with the Cubs, signed as a free agent with the back-to-back World Series Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Shortly after Bregman signed with the Cubs, he wrote an article for the Players’ Tribune where he said,
“This years team, I mean… We’re absolutely ready to bring a ton of joy to Cubs fans. Offensively, up and down our lineup, one through nine is a tough at-bat. Every single guy can throw a great at-bat at you. And when a team like that puts together quality at-bat after quality at bat, it really wears a pitcher down. Then, on the defensive side of the ball, I think we’ve got one of the best defensive groups, if not the best group, in all of baseball.”
Cubs Sign Emerging Star Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong to Contract Extension
Coming off a breakout season, which saw 24-year-old Crow-Armstrong achieve career bests of 91 runs, 146 hits, 37 doubles, 31 home runs, 95 RBIs and 35 stolen bases, the Cubs in late March signed the center fielder to a lucrative contract extension.
A couple of days prior to the season starting, Cro-Armstrong and the club agreed to a six-year $115 million dollar extension, which also includes a five million dollar signing bonus.
“He’s an electric player,” Cubs teammate Ian Happ said. “He plays with an energy that the fans really appreciate. Major League Baseball is like, What do the fans want? They want more stolen bases. More triples. Highlight plays. He is everything that the fans want and that the fans enjoy watching.”
Crow-Armstrong put his name in the Cubs record books when, it late September of last year, he hit his 30th home run of the season to become the only Cub to have hit 30 home runs, stolen 30 bases and hit 30 doubles.
He also joins former slugger Sammy Sosa as the only Cubs to have reached the 30-30 mark of 30 home runs and 30 stollen bases in a season.
For those wondering, Crow-Armstrong’s 30th home run last September came off of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas.
Besides a lethal bat, Crow-Armstrong is also an elite defender with speed who often entertains Cubs fans with highlight reel catches.
Will Cubs Starting Pitcher Shota Imanaga Pitch Like He Did In His Rookie Season?
Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga will be looking to re-discover that form he had back in 2024, when, as a rookie, he endeared himself to Cubs fans by going 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA while racking up 174 strikeouts.
Imanaga, who originally pitched for Yokohama DeNa BayStars before being signed on January 11, 2024, to Chicago, is coming off a bit an average season which saw this star go 9-8 with a 3.73 ERA along with striking out 117 batters.
Meanwhile looking to build off a strong ending to last season is veteran starter Jameson Taillon who in his final seven outings was lights out in pitching to a 1.85 ERA in a season which saw him go 11-7 with a 3.68 ERA and 98 strikeouts.
An intriguing storyline for the 2026 season is whether 24 year-old right hander Cade Horton can build off his solid rookie season. Last year, Horton made his debut on May 10, 2025 against the New York Mets and things couldn’t have worked out better for this starter who played a big role in the Cubs success by going 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA along with racking up 97 strikeouts which earned him runner-up status for NL Rookie of the Year.
Another starter looking to make a big impact is strikeout pitcher Edward Cabrera, who on January 7, 2026, was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Cubs. Last year, this 27 year-old went 8-7 with a 3.53 ERA along with 150 strikeouts in only 137.2 innings pitched.
In the bullpen, Chicago has stopper Daniel Palencia who in 2025 recorded 22 saves and a 2.91 ERA.
Synopsis
The Cubs up and down the batting order are once again a major offensive threat. They will entertain fans by scoring a lot of runs this summer but what they need is an established number one pitcher who can pitch over 200 innings and win 20 or more games.
Boyd and Imanaga are great pitchers but not the kind who have that reputation for winning and is durable enough and capable of 20 win seasons.
Chicago will get back into the playoffs as a wildcard but will not make it past the first round.
Main Image: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
