Thanks to a breakout star and a precocious rookie starter, the Cubs made some noise in the 2025 postseason.

Pete Crow-Armstrong -- the National League Gold Glove Award winner in center field -- and NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Cade Horton emerged as key pieces for a Chicago team that beat the Padres in the NL Wild Card Series and pushed the MLB-best Brewers to the brink in the NLDS.

For the Cubs to get even further next season, they’ll need players to step up like Crow-Armstrong and Horton did in 2025. Here are six Cubs who could be integral to a postseason push in 2026.

Justin Steele , LHP

Steele made just four starts in 2025 before undergoing season-ending surgery on his left UCL , leaving a sizable hole at the top of the Cubs rotation. The southpaw had rather quietly been

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