Bleacher Report's revealing grade for 2025 Cubs proves offseason can't be finished yet

With 2025 now in the rearview mirror and everyone's holiday festivities drawing to a close, it's worth reflecting on the year that was for the Chicago Cubs.

Though it ended with a dud of a loss in Game 5 of the NLDS, the Cubs still broke the 90-win barrier for the first time since 2018 and made the postseason for the first time since 2020. Beating the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series also made for some exciting entertainment, even if the offense was utterly incapable of producing against the Friars' high-powered bullpen.

Now, with the offseason in full swing, the Cubs have slowly gone to work in an effort to build out a more well-rounded roster for 2026. They've retained Shota Imanaga on the qualifying offer and Caleb Thielbar on a one-year deal, and they've signed free agents Tyler Austin, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Jacob Webb, and Hoby Milner.

Depth may be important, but none of those moves qualifies as a blockbuster, hence why many Cubs fans still see this offseason as a general failure to this point. Add it all up, and you get a clearly competitve team that has failed to wholly capitalize on their window. According to Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller, that's good for a B grade for 2025.

Cubs sit middle of the pack in end-of-year 2025 NL Central rankings

That B grade ranked third among all NL Central teams in Miller's rankings. The St. Louis Cardinals (D+) and Pittsburgh Pirates (C-) rightfully brought up the rear after difficult seasons, while the Milwaukee Brewers (A-) got the gold star for winning the division and advancing to the NLCS.

The most contestable grade is the one given to the Cincinnati Reds (B+), seeing as they finished third in the division behind the Cubs and got swept out of the playoffs in the Wild Card Series. Plus, they haven't done much either this offseason. Do they really deserve a better grade than the North Siders?

Maybe not, but when signing Phil Maton is your biggest move of the winter to this point (it's the only multi-year deal the Cubs have handed out), you're hardly in a position to argue the semantics of pluses and minuses on the report card.

The winter isn't even halfway over, and Chicago remain involved in various pursuits for top-tier free agents, including Alex Bregman. They came up short in their Tatsuya Imai pursuit, only turning up the heat on the front office. Even when factoring in Kyle Tucker's looming departure, there's enough talent still on the table to replace him and then some.

After years of rebuilding, 2025 was a big step forward for the franchise. Hopefully, 2026 marks another big leap back to championship contention for the Cubs.