2026 Chicago Cubs Predictions with Odds to Win World Series and Futures Picks

by Ryan Cobbett - 3/23/2026

We are nearly there for first pitch on the 2026 campaign, and with that the Chicago Cubs are set for another playoff bid. The biggest storyline to follow for the ensuing season is their big-time free agent addition in Alex Bregman. It remains to be seen whether he will round out the lineup to make the Cubs legitimate contenders for the World Series. The health of Justin Steele and Seiya Suzuki add intrigue to the current state of the roster, as well as the prospect potential. The Cubs are not far off, but they need some guys to step up in order to navigate the NL Central and the playoffs.

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Summary of Last Season

Last season the Chicago Cubs reached the NLDS after finishing the regular season with a 92-70 record. They finished the regular season five games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for second place in the NL Central, while recording a +144-run differential which was the second-best mark in the NL and third best in the MLB. They secured a wild card and dominated the San Diego Padres in the wild card series. Unfortunately, their season reached its end in the NLDS against their division rival Brewers. The Cubs took the series to five games, nearly overcoming a two-game deficit, but they ultimately fell short.

The Cubs ranked fifth in the league in runs, sixth in homeruns, 11th, in hits, third in stolen bases, and seventh in OPS. Nico Hoerner led the team with a 6.1 WAR after posting 61 RBIs, 29 stolen bases, a .297 AVG, and a team best 178 hits. Pete Crow-Armstrong burst onto the scene and posted a 6.0 WAR after having a 30/30 season with 31 homeruns and 35 stolen bases. He finished second on the team with 95 RBIs, and he was tied for first on the team with 91 runs. Kyle Tucker, Michael Busch, and Dansby Swanson were tied for third on the team with a 4.5 WAR, with both Tucker and Swanson posting 20/20 seasons. Busch led the team with 34 homeruns and finished third on the team with 90 RBIs.

As for their pitching staff, the Cubs finished ninth in team ERA with a 3.79-mark, 11th in quality starts, though they ranked just 23rd in homeruns allowed. Matthew Boyd led the pitching staff with a 2.6 WAR after posting 17 quality starts, leading the team with 179.2 innings pitched, 154 strikeouts, and finishing with a 3.21 ERA. Cade Horton finished second on the pitching staff with a 2.0 WAR. Horton recorded an 11-4 record in 22 starts, while finishing with a 2.67 ERA. Daniel Palencia led the way with 22 saves out of the bullpen, and he finished with a 2.91 ERA, while posting a 10.4 K/9 ratio.

Key Additions/Losses

Once their postseason bid ended, the Cubs watched Tucker, Aaron Civale, Wili Castro, Michael Soroka, Brad Keller, Taylor Rogers, Drew Pomeranz, Ryan Brasier, and Carlos Santana all became free agents. Andrew Kittredge was dealt to Baltimore, Justin Turner had his mutual option declined, and they non-tendered catcher Reese McGuire and reliever Eli Morgan.

As for the additions, the Cubs replaced the Tucker loss with the addition of Bregman. Chicago also replaced their pitching staff losses with Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Collin Snider, Jacob Webb, Jeff Brigham, Hunter Harvey, Edward Cabrera, Trent Thornton, Vince Velasquez, Kyle Wright, and Shelby Miller. They also added Michael Conforto, Dylan Carlson, Chas McCormick, Justin Dean, Scott Kingery, and Tyler Austin.

Prospect Outlook

As for their minor league pipeline, the Cubs farm system ranks 25th in the MLB with just two players ranking inside the MLB’s Top 100 Prospect Rankings. Catcher Moises Ballesteros is their highest rated prospect coming in at 55th on the list. His offensive potential adds an interesting wrinkle to the Cubs final roster decisions. Ballesteros is followed by right-hander Jaxon Wiggins who ranks 58th. Wiggins has a +100-MPH fastball with a solid slider. Both prospects are expected to have an impact at the big-league level this season.

X-Factors

Alex Bregman- Last season, the Cubs had Tucker producing at a high level, though he appeared in just 136 games. Bregman had his own injury issues last season, but the potential is there for him to replicate the production of Tucker. If Bregman can stay healthy and handle the hot corner for the Cubs, they can focus on adding a power bat at the deadline and further boost their chances of a World Series run.

The Pitching Staff- With Steele dealing with health issues, the Cubs will be heavily reliant on Boyd and Horton to repeat their strong production from last season. They also have Javier Assad who could be a wild-card arm for the rotation. In addition to the high-risk, high-ceiling rotation, the bullpen is also a bit of a question mark. Palencia did well in the closer role last season, but if he struggles this year, there is no proven closer who can step into the role. Having an uncertain anchor in the bullpen would be catastrophic for a deep postseason run.

2026 Chicago Cubs Notable Odds:

Win Total: 88.5

World Series Champions- +1700

Pennant Winners- +900

Division Winners- +110

NL MVP- Pete Crow-Armstrong +5000

NL Cy Young- Edward Cabrera +5000

NL Cy Young- Shota Imanaga +5000

NL Rookie of the Year- Moises Ballesteros +3000

2026 Chicago Cubs Predictions:

I like the Cubs to win the division. They are in better shape, on paper, than any of the other NL Central teams. This team reached 90 wins last season, with an expected record of 97 wins. Even with the loss of Tucker, they will not regress to an extreme. Take the over on the win total as the Cubs will likely finish with 95 wins this season. However, outside of those two futures, stay away from the Cubs. They could look like an enticing value pick to win the NL or even the World Series, but this team is an arm and bat from being able to dethrone the Dodgers.

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Start:	March 23, 2026 @ 11:59 PM
Expert:	Arun Shiva (Indian Cowboy)
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2026 Chicago Cubs Predictions with Odds to Win World Series and Futures Picks

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