A revamped bullpen, key trades, and a blockbuster signing propel the Cubs to third in National League improvement.
The Chicago Cubs had one of their better offseasons in recent memory. Jim Bowden of The Athletic gave the Cubs an ‘A’ for their overall offseason.
It started by revamping their bullpen. The Cubs signed Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, and Hunter Harvey to free agent deals this offseason. Those four relievers were all solid signings by the front office.
Maton is coming off one of his better seasons, finishing with a 2.79 ERA and 81 strikeouts across 61 ⅓ innings pitched. Milner has appeared in over 60 games in four consecutive seasons. Webb has finished with a sub-3.05 ERA in back-to-back campaigns, and Harvey is a top reliever when healthy.
The Cubs also made a big splash in the trade market by acquiring Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins. Cabrera is an up-and-coming pitcher who just put together the best season of his career in 2025. He had a 3.53 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 26 starts last year.
The addition of Cabrera gives the North Siders a strong rotation heading into the season. He joins a group that already features Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, and Justin Steele.
Then, the Cubs made their biggest move of the offseason by signing third baseman Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract. That $175 million marked the third-largest contract in team history.
Bregman brings both leadership and playoff experience to this Cubs roster. The veteran is a two-time World Series champion with over 100 career playoff games under his belt. He has also made the playoffs in nine of his 10 Major League seasons.
All those moves have made the Cubs one of the top teams in the National League. Despite losing Kyle Tucker, Brad Keller, and Andrew Kittedge in the offseason, Chicago’s front office did a nice job replacing those players this winter.
Higher-ups around Major League Baseball also believe so.
The Athletic ran a survey on a variety of topics entering the season. They asked 36 executives, retired executives, managers, coaches, and scouts to weigh in on some of the biggest storylines from this offseason.
One question asked was which National League team improved the most this offseason. The Mets received the most votes, the Dodgers received the second-most votes, and the Cubs found themselves with the third-most votes on this list.
Being in the same ballpark as the Mets and Dodgers puts the Cubs in some pretty good company entering 2026. They had a solid offseason and will start the season as the clear favorites in the NL Central.
There is some real hype building around the Cubs right now. Many expect the North Siders to compete for a World Series title this year.