Post-WBC MLB power rankings pin baseball's hopes on the Cubs in 2026

With the 2026 World Baseball Classic behind us, capped by yet another electric outing from Chicago Cubs closer Daniel Palencia, our attention can now fully turn to the season at hand, which kicks off March 25 with a matchup between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants.

The Cubs begin the 2026 season the next day, March 26, at Wrigley Field, playing host to the Washington Nationals. Expectations are high, even after Seiya Suzuki suffered a minor PCL sprain in the WBC (thankfully, it appears disaster was avoided, but it still felt like a shot across the bow). So how does Chicago stack up in terms of the big picture?

Well, according to the latest FanSided MLB power rankings - pretty darned well.

The Cubs come in at #2 - trailing only the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Not a bad spot to be after what certainly felt like Jed Hoyer's best offseason as president of baseball ops - headlined by a blockbuster Alex Bregman signing and huge trade pick-up of Edward Cabrera, not to mention a complete bullpen rebuild.

Cubs have high hopes - but don't count your chickens in March

The elephant in the room is Suzuki. The initial diagnosis seems like the Cubs dodged a major bullet here, but until we see him back on the field doing everything this team needs him to do, there will be some trepidation. That being said, at full strength, this roster feels like one of the most complete top-to-bottom teams in the league, certainly capable of making a run at de-throning Los Angeles.

That's not to say there aren't real questions facing the Cubs. Can Cade Horton cement his place as an ace after a breakout rookie season? Can Cabrera stay healthy? How about Pete Crow-Armstrong? Can he deliver consistency over the course of 162? The list goes on and on, as it does with pretty much every team in the league.

But it's clear. This year, the bar has been raised. There are legitimate World Series aspirations with this group both internally and externally. But, oh, how sweet it would be to be the team that knocked out the Dodgers - and did you forget? That would also mean knocking out Kyle Tucker.