The Boston Red Sox are set to wrap up the regular season with a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Fenway Park this weekend. However, Mother Nature has other plans for the Boston area over the weekend, as the region is forecast to be hit by a Nor'easter on Saturday, bringing torrential downpours and wind gusts of up to 55 mph, putting the series in doubt. 

The Red Sox' fate is effectively sealed, with the team likely heading to New York to take on the Yankees in the Wild Card round. Chicago still has plenty to play for as they enter play on Wednesday in a three-way tie with San Diego and Philadelphia for the National League Wild Card spots, making the final games of their regular season crucial for seeding. 

According to Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, the league has been in contact with both the Red Sox and Cubs about potential options for the series, with the teams planning on a doubleheader on Friday, depending on how the forecast develops throughout the week. 

There is a nightmare scenario that exists which would require the teams to play one or two of the series' three games on Monday before heading out to their respective Wild Card locations. This happened once before, in 2024, when the Mets and Braves saw the final two games of their seasons rained out because of Hurricane Helene. 

However, there is a massive difference between that case in 2024 and what the league could find itself in this weekend; neither the Mets nor the Braves had clinched their playoff spots yet, making those games critical. The Red Sox will have absolutely no desire to give up their off day ahead of a three-game postseason series in New York or trot out anything close to a competitive lineup before traveling to New York to begin the series on Tuesday.

Of course, the situation would also be less than ideal for a Cubs team that, in theory, could have to play a doubleheader in Boston and then have to pack up their bags and get on a cross-country flight to San Diego to begin a playoff series of their own against a well-rested Padres the next day. 

"I think playing Monday is obviously not a positive for anyone,” Cubs team president Jed Hoyer told The Athletic's Shahadev Sharma. 

There remains a possibility that the league could move the series from Fenway Park to a neutral site outside the storm's path; however, that doesn't appear to be on the table right now. 

How the storm develops as it moves closer to hitting the New England area will be something to keep an eye on in the days leading up to the series. 

After Tuesday night's 3-2 loss, the Red Sox will look to even up the series against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night at Fenway Park. Sonny Gray (17-5, 2.82 ERA) will get the start for Boston opposite left-hander Foster Griffin (15-5, 3.67 ERA) for Cleveland. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.