3 best Cubs performances from 2026 and why they mattered

We're in the final stages of putting a bow on the Chicago Cubs 2026 season. Considering how the Cubs stumbled in September and looked lifeless while being swept by the San Diego Padres, the season can't be viewed as a success. That said, there are some performances that mattered and provides some context for what is next for the team.

That brings us to where we are today, looking back at some of the best performances of the year for the Cubs. To set some parameters, there's also going to be the caveat of said performances having a roll-over effect for the 2027 season.

Here are the best Cubs performances from the 2026 season and why it's important moving forward

Along those lines, because of the roll-over aspect of it, we aren't going to include players like Ben Brown and Cade Horton. Both flashed briefly, in Horton's case, very brief, the potential of being a top-of-the-rotation pitcher for the Cubs moving forward, but their injury statuses cloud the picture. Horton is likely going to miss most of the 2027 season, and Brown's recurring neck issue could see him moved back to the bullpen.

With that out of the way, let's get started, and you can probably guess what it is.

Pete Crow-Armstrong's 40-40 season

Pete Crow-Armstrong is going to be the MVP this season. It's no surprise that he had the best performance of the season for the Cubs. Why it matters is because of what the Cubs did in April. They signed Crow-Armstrong to a pre-arbitration extension, and he's now under contract through the 2032. The Cubs have a superstar and on an extremely affordable price.

Alex Bregman's reminder

Hand up, I didn't think we would be here. Considering just how bad Alex Bregman was for an extended amount of time during the first-half of the season, I thought it was very possible that we would be talking about a suddenly enormous problem the Cubs would be dealing with for the next four years. But, outside of Crow-Armstrong, Bregman was arguably the best hitter in baseball during the second-half and finished the year with numbers that rival the best of his career. With the Cubs losing Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, the hope is that the Bregman that was present since the All-Star break is the one they get for the duration of the 2027 season.

Seiya Suzuki's walk year

Considering Crow-Armstrong's MVP campaign and Bregman's resurgent second-half, fans may not have noticed that Seiya Suzuki was once again excellent. He hit fewer home runs in 2026, 26, but raised his batting average by 25 poionts and on-base percentage by nearly 40 points. Overall, he posted a 132 wRC+. Suzuki was also a Gold Glove finalist. Why this should matter moving forward for the Cubs is that if they don't bring Suzuki back, their offense almost certainly will be worse in 2027.

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