With Spring Training underway, it's long past time to reflect on the Cubs' 2025 season!
The North Siders won 92 games, made the playoffs for only the 12th time in the past 80 seasons, advanced to the NLDS for the first time since 2017, beat the Padres in a thrilling Wild Card Series, and took the Brewers to Game Five of a nailbiter of an NLDS.
The Cubs got off to a strong start and led the division through April, finishing the month five games over .500. May was even better, as the first place Cubs went 18-9.
Things cooled a bit in June, as the Cubs went 13-13 but still finished the month atop the Central. Still, many fans remained frustrated by the front office's inaction on two fronts: first, the failure to spend the money saved by not re-signing Cody Bellinger, and, second, not shoring up the starting rotation after Justin Steele had season-ending surgery in April.
Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Matt Boyd had really impressive first halves, and all three earned All-Star honors. PCA was the first 2025 MLB player to reach the 20 HR / 20 SB plateau, accomplishing the feat faster than anyone in Cubs history.
Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, the Brewers were on fire. While the Cubs went 13-12 in July, the Brewers reeled off an 11-game winning streak and finished the month 17-7, putting them atop the NL Central. They kicked off August with a 14-game winning streak and never looked back, winning the division by five games.
Both of the Cubs' trade deadline moves were unimpressive, and both essentially backfired. Michael Soroka, acquired from the Nats while in the midst of his third consecutive subpar season, pitched only one game before hitting the IL for six weeks, and Willi Castro, acquired from the Twins in the midst of their historic salary dump, was Miles Mastrobuoni-esque, posting an awful OPS+ of 42 while batting .170. He won't be missed in '26.
A 15-14 August and a 14-11 September gave the North Siders a 92-win regular season, 4th best in the NL and enough to earn the top Wild Card berth and home field for the NLWCS against San Diego.
The best-of-three game NLWCS was great baseball, and the best-of-five NLDS was equally exciting, as the Cubs won back-to-back elimination games to come back from an 0-2 deficit to force a decisive Game Five.
Injuries plagued the Cubs throughout the season and were a factor in the playoffs, as Kyle Tucker and Daniel Palencia, on the IL for much of September, both returned to the active roster just prior to the postseason. Shota Imanaga missed most of May and June and wasn't quite as sharp after his return, leading Craig Counsell to skip his turn in the rotation for NLDS Game 5. Tucker hit .259 in the playoffs, but tallied only one extra base hit. Palencia looked sharp in the playoffs, but gave up three runs in relief NLDS Game 2, putting the game out of reach.
On the bright side, Nico Hoerner had a career year offensively, batting .297 (2nd best in the NL), while earning a Gold Glove, receiving MVP votes, and finishing with 6.2 bWAR, 3rd best in the NL. Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ also earned Gold Glove honors. Michael Busch had an impressive first season as the Cubs' full-time first baseman, hitting 34 homers, driving in 90, and finishing with an .866 OPS and an eye-popping 147 OPS+. Seiya Suzuki continued his offensive performance, launching 32 HR and tallying 103 RBI.
On the whole, things look bright heading into 2026. The current roster largely looks like the 2025 roster, with three major exceptions. First, Kyle Tucker is gone and Alex Bregman is here. Bregman will assume full-time duties at third, moving Matt Shaw into a utility role. Shaw's already getting Spring Training outfield reps, and can be expected to spell Bregman and Suzuki in the field throughout the season. Slugger Moises Ballesteros is expected to be the primary DH, putting Seiya back in RF full-time.
Second, Edward Cabrera has joined the rotation. A strikeout pitcher, Cabrera is coming off of a strong season in Miami and will enter a rotation featuring Imanaga, NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Cade Horton, Jameson Taillon, Matt Boyd, and eventually Justin Steele after he returns from the IL. The Cubs also have quite a few starter-capable arms in the 'pen and AAA that can fill in as needed. Prospect Owen Caissie was traded to the Marlins to acquire Cabrera; time will tell if the trade pays off.
Third, the bullpen has been overhauled (again!). While Daniel Palencia is slated to start the season as the Cubs' closer, the only other familiar bullpen faces are Javier Assad, Colin Rea, and Caleb Thielbar. New to the bullpen mix are veterans Hunter Harvey, Hoby Milner, Phil Maton, and Jacob Webb. The 2025 in-season revamp of the bullpen proved to work well. Here's hoping the same is true this time.
It's safe to say that after a four-year hiatus, the Cubs are back to fielding postseason-caliber baseball at Wrigley.
Here's to doing LOTS of CMN math this season! GO CUBS GO!
