The Cubs’ latest prediction for the 2025 postseason won’t make Chicago fans happy

Few teams have more reasons to be disappointed at the end of the 2024 season than the Chicago Cubs.

Spending $40 million on a manager’s contract is a bold statement, and the Cubs didn’t live up to their first-year promise. Craig Counsell left the division rival Milwaukee Brewers for Chicago, but was lapped by those Brewers in a division race that was effectively over by June 1.

Although there were outstanding individual performances for the Cubs (I’m thinking of Shota Imanaga, Chicago’s only All-Star), both the offense and the pitching staff failed as a whole. There was no clear superstar on the Cubs roster, and that doomed them as a group.

After teasing the fan base with occasional hot streaks over the last two seasons, the Cubs are past time to make good on their playoff promise. However, a forecast for 2025 already raises doubts that this will be the case.

Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter recently predicted that the Cubs would miss the playoffs in 2025 and wouldn’t make their next postseason appearance until the 2026 season.

“The offense is lacking star power, especially after Cody Bellinger regressed from his resurgent 2023 season, while the starting rotation needs at least one more quality arm and the bullpen may be completely torn down and rebuilt,” Reuter said.

“They have a lot of talent, but that doesn’t make them a playoff contender right now.”

Based on the current roster, it’s more than fair to doubt the Cubs’ chances in the NL Central. The Brewers are in charge, but the Cincinnati Reds are on the rise, with new manager Terry Francona at the helm. And even the Pittsburgh Pirates, last place this season, have Paul Skenes and Jared Jones.

Of course, if they want to change their fortunes, the Cubs still have every opportunity to make a big splash this winter. They could sign Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, Corbin Burnes or Blake Snell. They could even make trades for Luis Robert Jr. or Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

At this point, however, doubters have every reason to dislike the Cubs. The last two years have been extremely discouraging, and something tangible needs to change to reverse the momentum on the North Side.

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