Alex Bregman's blunt 2026 Cubs assessment should serve as wake up call for Jed Hoyer

The Chicago Cubs went into San Diego with the intention of getting past the Padres again so that they could have a chance to avenge their NLDS loss to the Brewers from a year ago. At least, that's what we thought would happen.

The Cubs team that showed up in the Wild Card Round was hardly recognizable. Compared to the energetic, jubilant squad that never felt out of it throughout the summer, it looked as though the North Siders didn't even want to be playing baseball this week.

And so, this organization enters a dire offseason of uncertain length with little to hang its hat on. It's a depressing, somber mood to have after so much of 2026 looked positive, which is why Alex Bregman made sure not to mince words when discussing the team's elimination.

To some that may sound harsh, but it's quite refreshing to hear someone within the org talk like this. The Cubs have been built to win now; ending a season without a single playoff victory to their names should be construed as an unequivocal failure.

Cubs must set their goals beyond just winning in the regular season

To be sure, the Cubs were trying to swim against the tide during that Wild Card Series. Terrible weather forced them to fly from Chicago to Boston to Tampa Bay to San Diego in a four-day span, throwing off everyone's equilibrium and pre-game preparations. It also doesn't help that Bregman himself was compromised due to a fluke injury -- which forced him to start at DH instead of third base -- or that the Padres happened to be riding a wave of momentum after posting the best record in the league in September.

But excuses don't get you anywhere. Bregman, who has made the playoffs every year for a decade straight, knows this. His honesty is exactly why he was signed; leaders don't let others off the hook. The Cubs (including him and Pete Crow-Armstrong) simply weren't good enough to win this year. The analysis doesn't need to go beyond that.

So now, the pressure is once again on the front office to reconfigure this roster to reach that threshold of "good enough to win." There's a tremendous core in place featuring Bregman, PCA, Nico Hoerner, Michael Busch, Cade Horton and others. However, there's also an incredible amount of talent set to depart this offseason, leaving Jed Hoyer a cleaner slate to work with than he's had in some time.

His instinct may be to play it safe after going not-quite-all the way in at the trade deadline flopped and with a lockout approaching. But that would be a disservice to a Cubs team that needs to get better, not worse after taking a step back in 2026.

As Bregman explained, despite all the wins and electric moments at Wrigley Field, this season was a failure. Now a decade removed from title contention, the Cubs can leave no stone unturned in their quest for success.

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