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ESPN Wisely Names Cubs' Biggest Success Of The Season

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI | By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 12:17 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs have been playing very well of late, and they recently punched their ticket to the postseason. Even though it hasn’t been all smooth sailing, the team has to be pleased with how things have gone overall.

While the Cubs will be happy that they made the playoffs, they still aren’t out of the mix for the National League Central. Even though coming back at this stage is unlikely, anything is possible down the stretch.

When looking at Chicago, this was a team that clearly had the goal in mind to improve over the winter. They went out and made a blockbuster trade to acquire Kyle Tucker, giving them the star that they needed in the middle of the lineup.

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This was a unit that had some talent before the trade, but adding Tucker completely changed the dynamic for the franchise. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been a great second half of the season for the impending free agent, with injuries derailing his production.

Even though Tucker has missed some time and played through his injury ineffectively, this unit overall has still been fantastic. Bradford Doolittle of ESPN recently wrote about the biggest success for the Cubs this season.

Cubs’ Offense Has Certainly Been Biggest Success

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While there was rightfully some concern about the unit in the second half of the campaign, there is no denying what the team has been able to accomplish on offense this season. Tucker might have been the catalyst, but this is a unit that has a lot of talent outside of him.

Pete Crow-Armstrong might also have hit a bit of a wall in the second half of the year, but he was the starting center fielder for the NL in the All-Star Game and a legitimate NL MVP candidate in the first half.

While the two outfielders have understandably received a lot of the praise and attention this campaign, first baseman Michael Busch has quietly had a fantastic season as well. The slugger has slashed .258/.338/.496 with 29 home runs and 81 RBI. The .496 slugging percentage is actually the best on the team among those who qualify.

Overall, it has been largely a team effort on offense, and the unit is going to be one to fear in October. Hopefully, the pitching staff and more specifically the bullpen will be up to the challenge of matching the production that the offense is capable of.

This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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