Cubs Aim Higher After NLDS Exit

Returning core and new additions fuel World Series aspirations for 2026 season

Feb. 11, 2026 at 8:15pm

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After an NLDS exit in 2025, the Chicago Cubs are entering the 2026 season with a renewed sense of purpose and high expectations. The team's core has largely remained intact, and key offseason additions like veteran third baseman Alex Bregman and starting pitcher Edward Cabrera have raised the team's ceiling. The Cubs are hungry to take the next step and win the World Series, with players like Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd expressing a determination to finish the job this year.

Why it matters

The Cubs' 2025 season represented a return to the playoffs after a four-year drought, but the early exit left the team and its fans hungry for more. With the core returning and the roster strengthened, the Cubs have a prime opportunity to capture their first World Series title since 2016 and cement their status as one of the National League's elite teams.

The details

The Cubs made some key offseason moves, including signing veteran third baseman Alex Bregman and trading for starting pitcher Edward Cabrera. While they lost right fielder Kyle Tucker to free agency, the roster largely remained intact from the 2025 team that reached the NLDS. The team's spring training complex has also seen some upgrades, including an expansion of the main building and a new stand-alone hitting and pitching lab.

  • The Cubs' 2025 season ended with an NLDS exit against the Brewers.
  • The Cubs' first official workout day for pitchers and catchers was on February 11, 2026.

The players

Jameson Taillon

A Cubs right-hander who has noticed a different, more focused feeling around the team's spring training complex this year.

Jed Hoyer

The Cubs' president of baseball operations, who says the team has a "hunger" after their 2025 NLDS exit.

Craig Counsell

The Brewers' manager, who says the Cubs have worked hard to build a roster with high expectations.

Matthew Boyd

A Cubs left-hander who says the team's goal is to win the World Series this year after coming up short in 2025.

Alex Bregman

A veteran third baseman the Cubs signed in the offseason to bolster their roster.

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What they’re saying

“I know it's a spring training cliche, but guys show up, and it doesn't seem as rah-rah exciting. It seems more like, 'let's get to work' exciting.”

— Jameson Taillon, Cubs right-hander (Chicago Sun-Times)

“So many of the guys were here last year, and I think they feel like we had a really good season, but there's unfinished business. And I think that in a lot of ways, that's the best kind of spring training, when there's a hunger.”

— Jed Hoyer, Cubs president of baseball operations (Chicago Sun-Times)

“Everybody in this industry wants expectations. You work hard to get expectations. … You work really hard to build a roster that has expectations, work really hard to get on a team that has expectations.”

— Craig Counsell, Brewers manager (Chicago Sun-Times)

“We came up short. It was a lot of fun. It was awesome. We're grateful for it. Wouldn't trade it for anything. But ultimately, we didn't really go where we wanted to go. It doesn't mean it was a failure, it just means we didn't get there yet. So our goal is to do it this year, and we've got the right guys to do it.”

— Matthew Boyd, Cubs left-hander (Chicago Sun-Times)

What’s next

The Cubs will have to get through the juggernaut Dodgers, who have won the last two World Series championships, in order to reach the Fall Classic.

The takeaway

The Cubs' 2025 NLDS exit has left the team and its fans hungry for more, and the team's largely intact core combined with key offseason additions have raised the team's ceiling and expectations for the 2026 season. The Cubs are determined to finish the job this year and capture their first World Series title since 2016.