Painful 2026 Cubs lineup prediction is already hitting too close to home

Stop me if you've heard this before. Something along the lines of 'we believe in this group, there's a lot of talent in this room and some big about having guys outperform expectations.' Because if this Chicago Cubs Opening Day lineup prediction from Bleacher Report lands anywhere close to the mark, we're looking at a wildly familiar group taking the field next spring.

1. Michael Busch - 1B
2. Ian Happ - LF
3. Seiya Suzuki - DH
4. Pete Crow-Armstrong - CF
5. Carson Kelly - C
6. Nico Hoerner - 2B
7. Dansby Swanson - SS
8. Owen Caissie - RF
9. Matt Shaw - 3B

There's some variable there, sure. If Owen Caissie isn't looking sharp at the end of camp, maybe Seiya Suzuki starts in right and Moises Ballesteros is the DH. But we've seen all three of those guys - and each, to varying degrees, comes with questions. The hope here is that if the Cubs run back the same position player group (with, God willing, a vastly improved bench mix), that means Jed Hoyer used all his available resources to improve the pitching staff.

If Cubs aren't adding bats, they have to dramatically improve the pitching

The one positional area the team could upgrade in the short-term would be at third, pushing Shaw into a utility role and adding someone like Alex Bregman to the mix after missing out on him last offseason. But after Shota Imanaga accepted a qualifying offer that came with a $22.05 million price tag, the payroll flexibility isn't quite what it was just a week ago.

Chicago has already added Phil Maton on a reported multi-year deal, but there's still a lot of work to do in the bullpen - and the team's need for a true ace dates back some time at this point. Given the number of free agent and trade options available, it would be unforgivable to see Hoyer come away empty-handed this offseason.

Running back the same lineup and betting heavily on Ballesteros and Caissie playing well, not to mention getting consistent production from Shaw, isn't a terrible move - but it has to be complemented by a revamped pitching staff headlined by a true top-of-the-rotation arm leading the charge.