With Gold Glove winners leading the charge, the Cubs boast elite defenders poised to dominate the diamond again this season.
There’s no doubt that the Chicago Cubs had one of the best defenses in the Major Leagues last season.
They had six players who were finalists for the Gold Glove award in 2025, including Pete Crow-Armstrong, Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Matt Shaw, Carson Kelly, and Matthew Boyd. Three of those players went on to win a Gold Glove (Crow-Armstrong, Hoerner, and Happ).
All three were major reasons why the Cubs finished with the second-best defense on FanGraphs. Crow-Armstrong was arguably the best defender in all of baseball, Hoerner was easily the best defensive second baseman, and Happ continues to play elite defense in the outfield.
Crow-Armstrong ranked first in Runs Prevented and tied for first in Outs Above Average among all position players. Hoerner led all second basemen in Runs Prevented and Outs Above Average, and Happ has become one of the best left field defenders with four straight Gold Glove wins.
It’s easy to see why Chicago had one of the best defenses last year. They had Crow-Armstrong, Hoerner, and Happ leading the way, with Shaw, Kelly, and Dansby Swanson also playing excellent defense at their respective positions.
With all those players returning in 2026, MLB projects the Cubs to remain a top defensive team this year. MLB.com ranks the North Siders as a top-5 defensive unit entering the season.
“It’s much the same for the Cubs, who saw Pete Crow-Armstrong play something like the best defensive center field we’ve seen in forever, and still have Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson as a dynamic middle-infield duo,” Mike Petriello of MLB.com said. “Alex Bregman is a better defender than Kyle Tucker, surely, but also that swap likely means more fielding time required from Seiya Suzuki.”
The biggest changes for the Cubs defensively this upcoming year will be Bregman replacing Shaw at third base and Suzuki getting more opportunities in right field.
There isn’t too much of a difference between Bregman and Shaw at third base. Shaw was a finalist for the Gold Glove award last year, and Bregman recently won a Gold Glove back during the 2024 season.
Then, there’s Suzuki, who is expected to see more playing time in the field with Tucker gone. While the Japanese native has been known as a below-average defender in his career, Tucker wasn’t much better than him in right field last season.
Tucker did finish with a slightly better Fielding Run Value, but Suzuki ranked better in Outs Above Average and Runs Prevented. Suzuki replacing Tucker in right field isn’t a big difference.
As a result, the Cubs will have an elite defense again in 2026. They should rank toward the top of the league in defensive runs saved and have the chance to be the best defensive team in all of baseball this season.