The Chicago Cubs recently saw their season come to an end with a 4-1 loss in Game 2 of the Wild Card round against the San Diego Padres, resulting in a sweep loss in the series. The Cubs now face an offseason filled with more questions than answers after a season filled with much promise and championship potential ended with a dud.
The MVP of the Cubs, and likely the NL, this year was Pete Crow-Armstrong, who put together one of the most dominant seasons in recent MLB history for his work in 2026.
However, now, Cubs insider Patrick Mooney of The Athletic has hit the team with a stern warning as the offseason gets underway.
“Looking ahead, the Cubs shouldn’t assume that Crow-Armstrong will stay on this trajectory and remain a superstar into the next decade… hoping that Crow-Armstrong will annually produce once-in-a-lifetime seasons that elevate the entire operation is not a strategy,” he noted.
Article Continues BelowIndeed, while there's certainly no reason to think that PCA will be taking a step back anytime soon, banking on him to produce at an MVP level year after year in order to keep the team above water is not a great approach for future success.
Mooney also noted that “The Cubs will have a lot of work to do this offseason, before and after the widely anticipated lockout. Beyond Happ and Suzuki, primary catcher Carson Kelly is on the verge of free agency, the entire season-ending rotation may need to be replaced and the Cubs still don’t have a closer.”
Clearly, the Chicago front office will have its hands full this offseason as they look to piece together what went wrong in the playoffs.