2025 postseason schedule out as Cubs chase critical wild card spot

2025 postseason schedule revealed as Cubs locked in wild card race
Chicago Cubs v Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago Cubs v Milwaukee Brewers | Patrick McDermott/GettyImages

With the Milwaukee Brewers' latest double-digit win streak all but confirming the Chicago Cubs' path to the postseason will be through the wild-card race, Major League Baseball announced the 2025 postseason schedule on Tuesday.

MLB drops 2025 playoff dates while Cubs scrap for wild card berth

Barring the Cubs going on a miracle run to take back the National League Central from the Brewers, it would seem that their postseason run will start on September 30 as part of the National League wild-card round. Entering play on Tuesday, the Cubs are currently the top team in the National League wild-card race, 4.5 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. The San Diego Padres and New York Mets would be the other two wild-card teams if the postseason started today.

Along those lines, for the Cubs, it's incredibly important that they get the top spot in the National League wild-card race. Doing so would place the Cubs as the No. 4 seed in the National League, and they would host all three games in the wild-card round.

In other words, the Cubs would be hosting the San Diego Padres to begin their postseason run if the current standings remain true. There would be a sense of irony to that potential postseason series. The Cubs entered the week of the MLB trade deadline as the best team in the National League, but their approach to the deadline has backfired in more ways than one. Meanwhile, the Padres were the most aggressive team at the deadline, and have a roster that could run circles around the Cubs in the postseason.

With three potential games in as many days, it would be an early test of the Cubs' trade deadline decisions. The idea at the deadline was for the Cubs to add a starting pitcher capable of starting in a postseason series. Instead, they inexplicably took a bet on Michael Soroka, and he may not pitch another game in a Cubs' uniform. As of now, it would seem that the Cubs' postseason rotation will be Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and Cade Horton.

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