The Chicago Cubs are headed to the playoffs for the second straight season and will look to lock up the No. 4 seed, just as they did last year. For now, Thursday's 2-1 win over the Marlins sealed the postseason berth. In 2026, they won the Wild Card Series at home in three games, advancing to the NLDS, where they lost in five games to their division rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Brewers are the NL Central champs again, and the playoff journey for the Cubs looks pretty similar to last season. As noted, this is the second straight time this bunch has made the playoffs as a wild card on the heels of a four-year rebuild by club president Jed Hoyer. That rebuild followed arguably the best stretch in franchise history, as the Cubs went to three straight NLCS and won the 2016 World Series for their first title since 1908.
Could this team break through in similar fashion? Here are three reasons the Cubs could make a deeper run this time around. The Cubs lead the majors in runs scored and slugging percentage while in a three-way battle atop the on-base percentage leaderboard.
They are second in home runs. Pete Crow-Armstrong seems destined to win National League MVP here in his 40-40 season (the seventh in MLB history), but it isn't just him powering the offense. Alex Bregman has been one of the best hitters in baseball since the All-Star break, Seiya Suzuki is very productive and even the lower-order guys are capable of doing some serious damage on any given night.
Plus, the Cubs' bench is one of the best in baseball. Pedro Ramirez, Matt Shaw, Michael Conforto and Tyrone Taylor have all had plenty of big moments for this Cubs team and none of them are considered regular starters. The catching duo of Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya has combined for over 3 WAR as well.
It's a well-rounded offense that doesn't need to rely on home runs for big games but can also beat you with the homer when called for. There are three strong stolen base threats, too. The old school defensive metric was fielding percentage, but we know now that you need to factor in range when it comes to defense.
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