Projected Cubs Wild Card rotation and lineup as Chicago clinches playoff spot

After a very long, very winding road, the Chicago Cubs are back in the postseason for the second year in a row. No, they weren't able to finally dethrone the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. But considering all the adversity — particularly with injuries, particularly to the pitching staff — that Craig Counsell's crew had to overcome, just getting to October has to be viewed as an accomplishment.

And now that they're in, they have every reason to believe they can do some serious damage. It won't be easy to fight to the top of the National League, but we know how good this Cubs offense can be when it gets rolling; it's not outrageous to see a run to the NLCS or even beyond in the cards.

Of course, that will depend in large part on whether the team nails its choices when building the postseason roster. Few teams have as many variables to consider as Chicago, between players coming on and off the IL and pitchers who have proven difficult to trust. Here's how we see the 26-man unit shaking out come next week's Wild Card series, no matter who the Cubs wind up playing.

Projected Cubs playoff rotation

The order here is still very much to be determined. But with Edward Cabrera been bumped into a relief role, Cade Horton and Ben Brown on the shelf and Justin Steele not back in time to build himself up to a starter's workload, this will almost certainly be the quartet for Chicago in a seven-game series. The real question is who starts Game 3, either in the Wild Card series or the NLDS.

Imanaga and Holmes feel more or less like locks. Gausman has ample October experience, but he's blown very hot and cold since coming to the Cubs at the trade deadline. Boyd was this team's Opening Day starter and got the ball for Game 1 of last year's Wild Card matchup with the San Diego Padres, but it's been a bumpy ride at times in 2026.

Projected bullpen

This has been an Achilles heel for Chicago all year, and the team could choose to go in any number of directions as they look to piece together a viable late-inning plan.

Webb, Palencia and Rolison feel like they can be written in pen, more or less. Thielbar and Zeferjahn have not inspired of confidence of late, but it's hard to imagine them getting left off entirely — the former because the Cubs simply don't have many other lefties to turn to, the latter because of what the team gave up to get him at the deadline and the potential his raw stuff promises.

Cabrera's stuff appears to be playing up in relief, and his ability to go multiple innings is a huge plus. The big question mark is Steele, who is back on a rehab assignment some 17 months after last pitching in a big-league game. Throwing him right into the fire is asking a lot, but given how much he means to this organization and how desperate the Cubs are for arms, I think they'll give him a shot if he's healthy.

Projected Cubs playoff lineup

We'll assume for now that Bregman is going to be good to go by next week after suffering an ugly facial fracture on a foul ball in Cincinnati. It still looks pretty gnarly, but Craig Counsell and Bregman himself have signaled optimism about his ability to play — possibly even before the regular season ends. He's a veteran leader, and if he wants to be in the lineup, he almost certainly will be.

From there, the rest more or less writes itself. The Cubs have set starters at just about every position, with Conforto serving as the DH whenever a righty is on the mound. This is one of the deepest lineups in the sport, provided everybody's healthy.

Projected bench

Amaya is locked in as the backup catcher, and Ramirez and Shaw similarly feel like locks thanks to their versatility and athleticism. Taylor provides a right-handed compliment to Conforto as well as more defensive juice in the outfield, and while Dean feels like a strange inclusion, his speed as a pinch-runner could prove invaluable late in games — a role that the Cubs have called on him for in the past.

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