CHICAGO — The Cubs were one game away from reaching the NL Championship Series in 2025 and becoming one of the final four teams to compete for the World Series.
Despite that, oddsmakers don’t seem to fancy the Cubs to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy in 2026.
The Cubs have 22 to 1 odds to win the World Series next year, per DraftKings Sportsbook and BetMGM. FanDuel Sportsbook, meanwhile, has the Cubs at 25 to 1 odds to win the Fall Classic in 2026. Those were the 12th-best odds in the majors on FanDuel and DraftKings and 11th-best on BetMGM.
The Cubs returned to the playoffs in 2025, their first trip back to the playoffs in a full season since 2018. They pushed the Milwaukee Brewers, who finished with the best record in baseball, to five games in the NL Division Series. But the Cubs face plenty of questions entering the offseason.
The biggest one is the fate of Kyle Tucker. The slugger was paramount to their success in the first half. He hit .291/.395/.537 (.931 OPS) with 17 home runs, 52 RBI and 20 stolen bases through June. The Cubs had a 50-35 record at the time, tied for the fourth-best in baseball.
[READ: Kyle Tucker Cubs contract situation examined as MLB free agency nears]
But Tucker slumped, and as he struggled, so too did the Cubs. He hit .225/.348/.342 (.690 OPS) with five home runs, 21 RBI and five stolen bases the rest of the way as the Cubs finished 42-35 and in second place in the NL Central.
They also face questions in the starting pitching department, with Shota Imanaga departing. The left-hander was their most consistent starter the last two years and hit free agency after he and the club both declined their sides of a unique contract option.
[MORE: Why Cubs, Shota Imanaga declined contract option; what comes next]
That’s why the sportsbooks are low on the Cubs. The Dodgers are the consensus favorite to hoist their third straight World Series title. They are +350 (7-2) on FanDuel and BetMGM and +370 on DraftKings.
The New York Yankees are the AL’s favorite at +750 (15-2) on DraftKings and BetMGM and +700 on FanDuel. The Brewers, who knocked the Cubs out of the playoffs this year, are 22-1 on FanDuel and BetMGM and 20-1 on DraftKings.