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That's it: the playoffs are here. It's the best time of the year.
We know that the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres will cross swords in one of the Nationals' two best-of-second series. But which club will come out on top?
The pitchers
In Chicago, the club managed to qualify for the playoffs without Justin Steele, who was injured at the start of the season. Cade Horton, a big rookie in 2025, was one of the reasons the club won so many games.
But Horton won't be able to pitch against San Diego, as he was recently injured. Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon will have to make the difference in the rotation.
https://twitter.com/passion_mlb/status/1972005937276739713
Nick Pivetta of the Padres will be the #1 pitcher in the playoffs. We don't know which of Michael King, Yu Darvish, Dylan Cease and Randy Vásquez will be the other pitchers in the rotation.
But what we do know is that once those starters leave the game, the Padres bullpen will be tough to beat. After all, the Padres have arguably the best bullpen in the entire MLB.
On paper, so far this season, the Padres have the best bullpen in terms of earned run average. And at the deadline, the San Diego club really came into its own, notably via Mason Miller. Otherwise, Robert Suarez, Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon are also excellent pitchers.
As for the Cubs, we're talking about a good bullpen, but we're also not talking about the same quality and depth as San Diego. Daniel Palencia, Brad Keller and Caleb Thierlbar are among those to watch.
Position players
The Cubs have a great forward line – and, above all, they have guys who know how to play defense. Seiya Suzuki has produced over 100 points this year. Michael Busch leads the club in home runs. Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson have had decent seasons offensively.
But the real questions are whether Pete Crow-Armstrong will regain his early-season poise and whether Kyle Tucker will be healthy. Because if both are fit, they could be game changers.
“It's awesome … he's a phenomenal player.”
Kyle Tucker tips his cap to PCA's historic season
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– Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 26, 2025
Of course, the Padres are not to be outdone either. Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill are always ones to watch. So are Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts and Luis Arraez.
Ramon Laureano will miss the start of the playoffs, which is not ideal. But even so, when the club has a big run, it can be pretty dangerous to stop the Fathers. Can the Bears pull it off?
The managers
Craig Counsell has playoff experience. From 2018 to 2023, he made the playoffs five times with the Milwaukee Brewers… but only won one round. Does he have what it takes to win two of three?
As for Mike Shildt, it's similar: he's made the playoffs four times (from 2019 to 2021 in St. Louis and last year with the Padres) and won two rounds. He's in his second year with his current team – as Counsell – and both men will be under pressure. No clear advantage here…
The imponderables
It's been a long time since the Cubs made the playoffs. In fact, the club qualified in 2020, but otherwise, you have to go back to 2018 to see the Bears in the playoffs as part of a full season.
The club hasn't won a series since 2017.
The Padres have more experience. This is the fourth time the Padres have been in the playoffs since 2020, and each time at least one round has been won. And last year, it took everything for the Dodgers to win the series between the two teams.
In terms of experience, the advantage is California. But will the Cubs' home-field advantage make the difference?
This content was created with the help of AI.
