5 bold Cubs predictions as Alex Bregman's arrival brings World Series expectations

That buzz is in the air. We're a matter of weeks from the Chicago Cubs opening the 2026 regular season at Wrigley Field against the Washington Nationals. The added excitement from the World Baseball Classic only fuels the excitement fans always feel this time of year, when hope springs eternal.

Wrigleyville faithful are still riding high from what is unquestionably Jed Hoyer's best offseason to-date as president of baseball operations. Headlined by the Alex Bregman signing, the Cubs were big winners of the winter - and the goal is clear: bring another World Series championship to Chicago.

So ahead of the 2026 regular season, let's be bold. Let's think outside the box and cook up some Cubs predictions. I'm not talking about a completely impossible grasping at straws - these are at least somewhat feasible takes. Let's dive in.

5 exciting Cubs predictions that actually have a chance of happening

Michael Busch finishes top-3 in the National League in home runs

For the first time in his MLB career, Michael Busch will get the chance to play every day, regardless of who's on the mound. The Cubs have protected him from left-handed pitching over the last two years, and his .230/.295/.366 career slash line against southpaws doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but the simple truth is he's never gotten the chance to improve in those matchups.

He's got five times as many plate appearances against righties compared to lefties, and I'm sure there's going to be a learning curve. But after smacking a career-high 34 home runs last year in 134 games started (155 total games) - there's a clear path for him to take things up another notch in 2026.

The presence of Bregman only lengthens the lineup and adds protection for guys like Busch. If he's in the lineup every day and maintains his power stroke from 2025, he may take a run at a 40+ homer campaign and take his place among the game's elite power hitters.

Edward Cabrera makes his first All-Star team

Enter Tommy Hottovy: pitcher whisperer.

The acquisition of Edward Cabrera would not have been nearly as exciting without the pitching infrastructure that Hottovy has played an integral role in building in recent years. We've seen countless guys go from fringe piece to pitching staff centerpiece and, given Cabrera's pure stuff, the possibilities are endless here.

He's never really put it all together over the course of 162 - and that's the biggest challenge at hand. The right-hander needs to stay healthy and take the ball every five days to be the impact arm the Cubs hope he can be. If he avoids any lengthy IL stints, Cabrera could wind up being the biggest move of the offseason.

Jed Hoyer trades a member of the rotation at the deadline

Depth, depth, depth. That's the biggest strength of the Chicago Cubs' starting rotation heading into 2026.

There are still questions over whether or not Cade Horton or Cabrera can grab the 'ace' role and headline the staff, but nobody is doubting the sheer volume of arms in the mix here. Cabrera and Horton are joined by Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga - as well as Javier Assad, Colin Rea and Ben Brown, not to mention Justin Steele, who is expected to return in May or June.

That math doesn't math - at least not when everyone is healthy. There could be a deal out there this summer to the Cubs' liking, maybe to add a bona fide late-inning arm, and seeing Hoyer deal from a position of strength makes a decent amount of sense.

Daniel Palencia becomes the 3rd Cub ever with 40 saves

OK, maybe instead of needing to go pull off a move mirroring the one that brought Aroldis Chapman to the North Side in 2016, Daniel Palencia steps up and becomes the guy in the ninth inning.

The hard-throwing right-hander vanquished his long-standing control issues last year, and the results immediately followed. Palencia finished the year with 22 saves and a 2.91 ERA, but summer injuries proved costly and when he returned, he pitched as Craig Counsell's fireman instead of re-assuming the closer role.

The Cubs haven't had a pitcher with 40 saves since Rod Beck in 1998. They haven't had anyone notch 30 saves since Wade Davis in 2017. Could this be the year at least one of those marks falls?

The Cubs clinch the division with 2+ weeks left in the season

Let's end this on a high note.

After years of looking up at the rival Milwaukee Brewers come late September, let this season be different. Bregman leads the Cubs to a second straight playoff berth - but there's no regular season drama. Chicago coasts to its first NL Central crown since 2020 (and first in a full-length season since 2017), giving Counsell the chance to set things up for a deep October run.

Like I said. It's spring - and that hope I talked about is alive and well in my heart.