The Chicago Cubs have the team in place to make a big push to a championship. On the flip side of that big opportunity, though, is the reality that much of this current roster will not be back to make a second run at a title.
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A good portion of this team’s roster– including several core members– will either be eligible for free agency at the end of the coming season or staring down options for 2027. Atop the list of possible outgoing Cubs is Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, and Carson Kelly.
Anyone facing that kind of uncertainty could be forgiven for suffering through at least a bit of distraction. But with a real possibility of making some waves this offseason, manager Craig Counsell has the task of keeping his guys’ eyes on the prize.
“We certainly feel very confident in our team going forward, but it’s going to look different in ‘27 than this,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told MLB.com. “There is going to be change. Craig has talked to the players about trying to embrace that.”
Counsell addresses 2026 elephant in the room
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And Counsell has, indeed, already addressed the gigantic elephant in the room called ‘uncertainty.’
“[Boston Celtics head coach] Joe Mazzulla, who is one of my favorite coaches, said, ‘I go to bed questionable and wake up probable.’ None of us are guaranteed anything, and that’s really a great way to put it,” Counsell told media. “Like, why am I worried about what’s going to happen? I have to make sure I wake up the next day, so let’s just worry about what’s going on right now.
“The whole point of this is to be where your feet are, so I don’t think you worry about it. Everybody thinks about what’s next for them; that’s a natural thought for people to do. But when you have an opportunity like we have, it’s also easier to be where your feet are every day, be present, enjoy it and cherish it. That’s what we’ve talked about our goal being every single day: to enjoy what you have right in front of you.”
Focusing on the here and now
That focus on the here and now will be crucial to a successful 2026. It just takes a small handful of distracted or overly-strained players to ruin a vibe and bring a team down.
There’s hope that at least two or three of these possibly outgoing Cubs could be retained. Ideally, second baseman Nico Hoerner would be one of them. It would also be nice to see at least one of the corner outfielders– Happ or Suzuki– extended, just because of how hard it would be to sign two starter-level corner outfielders in one free agent class. People would also probably not balk at the Cubs doing everything they can to hold on to Boyd.
Ultimately, though, business is business and the Cubs will make the decisions that go best with their business plan. Hopefully, those decisions are made after a very successful 2026.
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