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After indulging in where the Chicago Bears belong in the 2025 NFL power rankings this week, why not look at some Chicago Cubs power rankings? Here we are going to rank all of the postseason Cubs teams of the 21st century. Since 2000, nine different Cubs teams have played October baseball. These rankings will combine both regular season and postseason factors, including performance and rosters. As always, these rankings are subject to debate.
Ranking the best Cubs postseason teams dating back to 2000
9: 2020
It's hard to rank a team that played in a COVID-shortened season in front of zero fans that ultimately got swept in the first round any higher than last. The Cubs won the NL Central with a 34-26 record before succumbing to the Miami Marlins in the Wild Card round. Despite featuring "The Core" from the 2016 champions, their star offensive power was completely neutralized as the Cubs scored one measly run in the two games. The team slashed .145/.254/.226 with 16 strikeouts in 62 at-bats. Like 2003, the Marlins celebrated a postseason series win in a dead quiet Wrigley Field.
8: 2007
Going from worst to first under the fiery Lou Piniella was a fun journey for the North Side faithful in 2007. Their new manager, plus the addition of slugger Alfonso Soriano, helped wake the team up after two brutal seasons in 2005 and 2006. Though they won the NL Central, they were just an 85-win team, which was the lowest win total by a Cubs postseason team in a season in which at least 154 games were played. The '07 flame was extinguished quickly in the NLDS against Arizona when they were swept out of the playoffs. Cubs pitchers posted a 5.76 ERA in the series, while the offense went 2-for-23 with RISP and grounded into six double plays (five in the finale).
7: 2018
Despite winning 95 games, the Cubs lost out on the NL Central title to the rival Brewers in Game 163 at Wrigley Field. The vaunted offense "broke" near the end of September, and Cubs pitchers worked unbelievably hard to keep their team in games. Still, Chicago was a Wild Card team even after fumbling the division and they got to host a winner-take-all Wild Card Game at Wrigley Field. The Cubs went out with a whimper, losing 2-1 in 13 innings. They mustered just six hits and struck out 16 times that night. Many fans sensed the impending doom heading into that postseason, and their fears were correct. Big picture - a great season. But it ended in a quick and numbing fashion.
6: 2008
This was one of the best regular season Cubs teams most living fans had ever seen. They won 97 games for the first time since 1945 with a stacked lineup, rotation, and back end of the bullpen. It felt like 2008 was truly the year...until the postseason. What happened in the NLDS against the 84-win Dodgers was nothing less than horrifying. Not only were they swept, but they were outscored 20-6 in the three games while committing six errors (four in Game 2 alone) and saw their lineup post a collective .628 OPS. Not to mention Cubs pitchers walking 14 hitters in 26 innings. While only the 2016 Cubs had a better regular season record, they are nowhere near the top after their October downfall.
5: 2025
Just a few months ago, the 2025 Cubs made it within one win of the NLCS. While not the longest postseason run the Cubs have had, they won the Wild Card Series against San Diego and pushed the Brewers to Game 5 in the NLDS. Not the goal, but a decent run and one that felt about right for the 92-win team. It was a good enough club to make some noise in October, but not good enough to go all the way. That is why it's nicely nestled right in the middle of the postseason power rankings.
4: 2017
The defending champs did not have the 108-pound goat on their back, just an opportunity for their fans to enjoy another postseason ride without that pressure. After being hungover in the first half, the North Siders rallied in the final few months and won 92 games and returned to the NLCS for the third straight year. Their rollercoaster ride against the Nationals in the NLDS was exciting and excruciating; they kind of stole that series if we are being honest. The run of Cubs greatness in the postseason ended when a much better Dodgers team beat them in five in the NLCS. While nobody wants to lose, it's easy to assume most Cubs fans were not too upset. It was obvious the Cubs were running on fumes by that series, and they still got within three wins of returning to the Fall Classic.
3: 2015
The unexpected rejuvenation on the North Side ten years ago was a season to remember. While the big next steps in the rebuild were coming together with Kris Bryant coming up, Jon Lester signing a six-year deal, and Joe Maddon taking over as the skipper, few expected 97 wins that year. The young Cubs, behind Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta, sunk the Pirates 4-0 in the Wild Card Game and won in four games against the arch-rival Cardinals in the NLDS. In that series against the Cardinals, the Cubs slugged 10 homers and posted an .856 OPS with Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler providing much of the pop. Six of those homers came in Game 3, the first Cubs' postseason home win since 2003. Even after running into a buzzsaw and getting swept in the NLCS by the Cinderella Mets, the future looked so bright on the North Side.
2: 2003
Was this a better team than the likes of 2008, 2015, or 2017 on paper? Not necessarily, they only won 88 games, but Dusty Baker's team still got closer to the World Series than any other Cubs team from 1946-2015. They have the second-most postseason wins by any Cubs team in franchise history, and they were the first Cubs squad to win a postseason series since 1908. The story is familiar to us all: the young rotation of Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, and Carlos Zambrano dominating hitters with Sammy Sosa, Aramis Ramirez, and Moises Alou hitting bombs onto Waveland Avenue. It looked like a team of destiny the way they took care of the mighty Braves in the NLDS before going up 3-1 in the NLCS against the Marlins. We know the rest...but it was a run that few other Cubs teams can say they had.
1: 2016
World Series champions for the first time in 108 years. Who else would be at the top? The squad made up of Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras, Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward, Lester, Arrieta, Bryant, Schwarber, and others, will live on forever. Even if they win another World Series in our lifetimes, it will never be *this* one. They were the best regular season (103 wins) and postseason team among all of these others by far.