The Chicago Cubs should have some extra motivation for 2026 after Milwaukee Brewers reliever Trevor Megill brought an “L” flag to his team’s postgame picture following Saturday’s National League Division Series-clinching win at American Family Field.
It was one last way to taunt the Cubs — the Brewers’ archrivals in the NL Central and Megill’s former team — and they took advantage of the opportunity when a fan handed the flag to Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers. Imagine the Cubs taking a team photo with players stepping on the head of one of the Racing Sausages had they won Game 5.
All is fair in love and war.
In truth, the returning members of the 2025 Cubs won’t need any motivation in ’26 when they face the Brewers, who continued their World Series quest Monday in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It has been a tremendous rivalry for several years now and will only grow more intense after their first postseason meeting.
But what kind of Cubs team will we see next year? The same basic group as the ’25 season with a few tweaks, or a new, younger team centered around Nico Hoerner and emerging stars Cade Horton, Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong?
After what the organization can deem a successful season, President Jed Hoyer has several options as he tries to build on that success in Year 6 of his reign.
Here are six scenarios.
1. Run it back
Re-sign Kyle Tucker, no matter the cost, and keep the majority of the 2025 regulars, with some tinkering in the bullpen and a new bench. This would obviously push Chairman Tom Ricketts into luxury-tax territory, which he generally avoids at all costs.
With a healthy Tucker all season and a rotation strengthened by the return of Justin Steele, Hoyer can focus on bullpen and bench upgrades in the offseason. The Cubs should finish with 90-plus wins again, compete for the division title and at the very least get back into the postseason as a wild-card team with home-field advantage.
But it should be noted that Tucker hit .236 at Wrigley Field with a .747 OPS, as opposed to a .292 average and .923 OPS on the road. Some confines are just friendlier than others, and Tucker might not want to return even if the Cubs make an offer close to what the New York Yankees or another big spender might give him.
2. Leave the King, take the cannoli
Let “King Tuck” leave via free agency and bring back almost everyone else, giving Owen Caissie his shot in right field or perhaps letting Seiya Suzuki play right again and using Moisés Ballesteros as the primary designated hitter. “MoBall” doesn’t project as a catcher and first base is taken with Busch, so it’s basically DH or bust with him on this team.
The Cubs won’t have to worry about an attendance drop with Tucker gone. Crow-Armstrong took over as the fan favorite early on and drew the most applause of any player in pregame introductions during the playoffs at Wrigley Field.
With some bullpen additions, a new bench and a rotation bolstered by the return of Steele, the Cubs should finish with 85-plus wins and compete for one of the last two wild-card spots.
3. Schwarbomb redux
Bring back free-agent slugger Kyle Schwarber with the money the Cubs saved by not re-signing Tucker and otherwise do some minor roster tweaking.
This would be similar to former Cubs general manager Jim Hendry bringing back Greg Maddux in 2004 to correct the mistake the organization made by letting him leave for the Atlanta Braves, though Maddux was past his prime when he returned. Schwarber will be 33 in ’26 and still a lethal power hitter for a few more years.
The Cubs should win 90-plus games with Busch, Hoerner and Schwarber atop the lineup, compete for the division title and make the postseason either way.
4. Rebuild 3.0
Hoyer’s bold statement in 2021 — trading away popular stars Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Báez at the deadline — showed he’s not averse to shaking things up and starting over again.
With Caissie, Ballesteros, Kevin Alcantara and Iowa slugger Jonathon Long getting shots in the outfield or at DH, Miguel Amaya returning behind the plate full-time and top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins added to the rotation, Hoyer could let Tucker go and shop 30-something players Suzuki, Ian Happ, Carson Kelly, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon.
Manager Craig Counsell won with teams like this in Milwaukee, which is why Hoyer signed him in the first place. Ricketts then would have his cake and eat it too — adding more prospects and still contending with so-called “intelligent spending.”
With a rotation of Steele, Horton, Matthew Boyd, Ben Brown and Javier Assad, the Cubs still should finish with 85-plus wins and compete for a wild-card spot.
5. Back up the truck
Everyone is available except Crow-Armstrong, Busch, Horton and Hoerner. A complete overhaul of the rotation, except Steele and Horton, and a revamped bullpen with younger out-getters replacing the Original “OGs.” All regular position players would be trade bait in this scenario except the three biggest stars, though Dansby Swanson, who is entering the fourth year of his seven-year, $177 million deal, might be difficult to deal.
Steele, Horton and Wiggins would be the Big Three, while Hoyer would look for another bargain signing for the rotation as he did last year with Boyd, who has a $14.5 million team option in ’26 that’s now team-friendly. By dealing veterans this offseason, Hoyer would have more money to sign Busch and Crow-Armstrong to long-term deals.
The Cubs should finish around .500 and improve the farm system while revamping for mid-2027, or whenever the expected lockout ends.
6. Project 2032
Everyone must go, including Crow-Armstrong, Busch, Horton and Hoerner, as the Cubs go full-metal rebuild in order to win in 2032, which reportedly is GM Carter Hawkins’ favorite year. Theo Epstein famously went this route in 2012 and won a championship in five seasons.
The Cubs should win 75 to 80 games, but by ’32 Ricketts would be out-Brewing the Brewers at their own game. By that point, the “L” flag episode of the 2025 postseason would be a distant memory.
