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3. The Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers
The other main thing holding the Cubs back is the fact that they are just not as good as some other teams in the National League. I do however believe that the Cubs are the best team in the NL Central and that there is a good chance they will finish in first place ahead of the Brewers. Even if this happens though, there are serious obstacles when the playoffs come around mainly in the form of the Braves and the Dodgers.
The Braves are putting up some of the most impressive offensive numbers in MLB history and they currently have six players with 20 or more home runs, including Matt Olson who holds the league lead with 43. Not to mention their elite starting rotation of Charlie Morton (3.54 ERA), Bryce Elder (3.46 ERA), Max Fried (2.57 ERA), and Spencer Strider (217 strikeouts).
The other National League juggernaut is the Dodgers, who may have lost Trea Turner and Cody Bellinger in the offseason but still boast one of the best lineups in the league. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are among the league leaders in OPS (.973 and .996 respectively) and several other above-average hitters surround them like J.D. Martinez, Max Muncy, and Will Smith. Overall, the Dodgers and Braves are stacked teams that would likely overwhelm the Cubs in the playoffs.