Okay...so the Craig Counsell era in Chicago hasn't gone as well as expected so far. Yes, they made the playoffs this year, but the guy who inherited Craig's old team has turned it into a mega-competitor that may have a stronghold on the NL Central for a while. The key word there is 'may', as the Cubs definitely have enough going for them long term to compete with them. Granted, the potential loss of Kyle Tucker wounds them somewhat, and the short-lived specter of a Zac Gallen trade cast doubt on how cutthroat the team will be this offseason, but perhaps providing room for Kevin Alcantara and Moises Ballesteros is a step in the right direction.
Case in point: with Patrick Wisdom gone, and Isaac Paredes in Houston, the opening at third left room for rookie Matt Shaw, who was the starter at third from the very beginning of the season, the Japan series. Granted, he wouldn't have much luck til he got to the states, but Shaw had a decent rookie year. May was his best month at the plate, in 11 games he hit .359 with 14 hits and 4 RBIs, but his power numbers would increase as the season went on. In the second half alone he hit 11 homers and 29 RBIs, all while providing great defense at the hot corner. Shaw didn't fare well at all in the playoffs, though.
2026 Prediction: Begins to figure the majors out a bit more, at least at the plate.
The primary closing option for the Cubs this year, in a year without Adbert Alzolay, or without Ryan Pressly's better numbers, was organizational stalwart Daniel Palencia, a decent reliever who just needed a chance. This year, despite some injury-plagued stretches, Palencia gave a nice taste of his talents in the ninth, with a 2.91 ERA, 22 saves and 60 Ks. He also went 3-0 in six playoff appearances.
2026 Prediction: 30+ saves, holds it the whole year.
There were several backup catching options up for the Cubs this year, like Miguel Amaya and Reese McGuire, but in the absence of them, the Cubs also had the absolute tank that is Moises Ballesteros chilling in Iowa. Ballesteros is 21, plays catcher and 1st base, and is built like a brick shithouse. Dude punishes the ball whenever he can. In Iowa alone he hit .316 with 13 homers and 76 RBIs. That Ballesteros only had 20 games in the majors mostly meant the MLB roster was pretty full, but even in limited opportunities he proved himself, hitting .298 with 2 homers, 11 RBIs and a .868 OPS, only .010 higher than his Iowa OPS. This kid is looking pretty inevitable at this point.
2026 Prediction: Well if he's not up at some point they're gonna look pretty bad. I mean, letting a supercharged, big hitting prospect toil around in minor roles for two years? Who are they, the Yankees? So yeah, he plays 100 games in the bigs next year, passes his Iowa RBI mark and finds a place to play everyday.
I think the sneakiest thing the Cubs did at the deadline was stealing Andrew Kittredge from Baltimore, because Kittredge was quietly having a small comeback season and not everyone had noticed yet. The former Rays setup man finished the year strongly in Chicago, with a 3.23 ERA, 32 Ks and 5 saves filling in for Palencia. He was a little shakier in the playoffs, but famously got out of some scrapes against Milwaukee.
2026 Prediction: A reunion with the O's, this time with a better manager and a healthier team, should go great for Kittredge, cause I know the fans enjoyed him this year. Not quite Rays quality, but he'll be able to handle a lot of the workload.
Finally, Willi Castro was a pretty nice pickup for the Cubs, as they needed a good utility piece, and Castro has been among the best of those lately. His Cubs numbers were a disappointment compared to his Twins run, as here he only hit .170 with 17 hits in 34 games. Very odd that Jose Caballero ended up being the pickup that Castro should have been for the Cubs.
2026 Prediction: Y'know honestly it wouldn't shock me if the Twins bring him back. They certainly need all the help they can get..
Coming Tomorrow- A small crew of Diamondbacks that tried, and failed to slip into the playoffs at the last minute.
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