Previewing what 2026 may bring for the Cubs

Looking ahead to a new season, The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney see a playoff-caliber team that’s approaching a cliff. With so many key players close to reaching free agency – and questions about the farm system and the baseball budget – this should be a fascinating year around the Cubs. Who stays? Who goes? What’s different from the organization’s last cliff? And why do some of these issues sound familiar?