2026 MLB offseason needs: What Wild Card losers Red Sox, Cubs, Astros and Phillies must fix

Four teams punched their tickets to the Divisional Series round of the MLB playoffs, but that means four teams were sent home. That unfortunate quartet was the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies. 

These four squads all had successful seasons in terms of making the playoffs, but the season ending at this stage is unfortunate for teams that had World Series aspirations. 

So where do they go from here? 

What’s next for the teams eliminated in the 2026 MLB Wild Card Round?

With SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, we’ve followed these four teams closely all year long, and we’ve also kept a close eye on what their 2026-27 offseasons may look like. As such, here’s what’s next for the four teams eliminated in the MLB Wild Card Round. 

Boston Red Sox: Run it back – just find the offense earlier

The Red Sox have had a weird 12 months. They made the postseason in 2025 but were quickly bounced by the Yankees. They struggled to score runs in the first half of 2026 but caught fire in July and were one of baseball’s best teams in the second half. Then, Boston was, once again, beaten down by New York in the Wild Card Round, getting swept in two games and allowing 18 runs and scoring just two in the process.

The good news for Boston is things are in good shape overall. Chad Tracy took over for Alex Cora early in the year, got the team right and is now the full-time skipper. Basically every key player is due back for 2027, with the only question mark being Sonny Gray. The veteran right-hander had an awesome year with an 18-5 record and 2.72 ERA, and he and the Sox have a mutual option for $30M in 2027. You’d assume both sides would want to renew that partnership, though Gray told reporters he was mad he was pulled after 4 2/3 innings against the Yankees in Game 2. 

Assuming Gray is back, the Red Sox have a good nucleus in place. They were elite on the mound and should have Garrett Crochet back for good after injuries cost him nearly all of 2026. Crochet, Gray, Ranger Suarez and Payton Tolle make up a very good rotation grouping. 

Offensively, the team found its groove in the second half. They ranked 29th in runs from Opening Day to the end of June, but were 11th in MLB in runs scored from July 1 to the end of the season. 

Boston has its skipper. It has a dominant pitching staff. The lineup isn’t loaded with big names, but it’s a very capable group. The Red Sox likely will want to add at least one impact bat – Randy Arozarena or Brandon Lowe both make sense – but outside of that, things are in good shape. Outside of “how do we get past the freaking Yankees?” there actually aren’t too many questions with this roster right now. It’s just a matter of finding the offense before July in 2027.

Cubs: Fix the rotation and sort out the outfield

The Cubs’ season ended in the Wild Card Round, a step down from an NLDS loss to Milwaukee in 2025. The Cubs were a very exciting team with a good mix of veterans and youngsters – namely presumptive NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong – but Chicago has a lot of work to do this offseason.

Speaking of PCA, who will be playing alongside him in the outfield next year? Seiya Suzuki, who hit 26 homers, drove in 86 and posted an .841 OPS, is a pending free agent, as is longtime Cub Ian Happ, who, even in a down year, hit 24 homers. The infield is set, but the outfield is a major question mark. Suzuki will be highly sought after, and Happ should have a decent market as well. Three of Chicago’s top five prospects, per MLB Pipeline rankings, are outfielders, but the publication lists Josiah Hartshorn, Ethan Conrad and Kane Kepley with 2028 ETAs as far as their MLB debuts. 

The other big question mark? The rotation.

Former top starter Justin Steele should hopefully be back next year as he works his way back from Tommy John, but how effective will he be? He hasn’t pitched since April 2025. 

Matthew Boyd was an All-Star in 2025 but battled injury and had a worse 2026. He and the club share a mutual option for 2027. 

Shota Imanaga is a pending free agent, as are trade acquisitions Kevin Gausman, David Peterson and Aaron Civale. Fellow trade acquisition Clay Holmes has a player option for 2027, and his status will be one worth monitoring. 

The Cubs have intriguing internal options in Ben Brown and Javier Assad, as well as Edward Cabrera, who had a rough 2026, and Colin Rea, who is a very, very average arm. If the Cubs want to take a step forward in 2027, improving the rotation is a must. Could Chicago be in the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes? 

Houston Astros: Figure out leadership while bolstering rotation

The Astros have to fix their pitching staff. Hunter Brown is an ace, and Peter Lambert had a very nice 2026. Outside of those two? Houston’s starting rotation was largely a mess in the wake of Framber Valdez leaving for Detroit in free agency. 

How aggressive the Astros will be this offseason, though, is a major question mark. The pitching staff was not very good and likely will lose a top reliever in Bryan Abreu, who is the Astros’ top pending free agent. The team has a win-now group as far as hitters go with presumptive AL MVP Yordan Alvarez leading a group that includes Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, Christian Walker, Isaac Paredes and a returning Carlos Correa. There’s a clear 1-3 year window there, especially with how bad the AL West was this season.

But who will be leading the charge? The Astros fired general manager Dana Brown in August. They are expected to part ways with manager Joe Espada, who has been on the Houston bench since 2018 and has been the team’s manager since 2024. 

It’s an attractive job overall given the top-end talent on the roster, but Houston ownership has not been afraid to fire top leadership in recent years, which could give some candidates pause. But the ability to take over a team headlined by Alvarez, Brown, Pena and Co. in a division that was won at 81-81 will certainly attract some notable baseball minds.

Philadelphia Phillies: Decide on skipper, lengthen the lineup

The Phillies’ first order of business was reportedly decided pretty soon after their loss to the Braves, as multiple reports have come out that Don Mattingly will not be the team’s full-time manager next year. Mattingly took the Phils to a 79-55 record in the regular season after taking over for Rob Thompson, but unlike Andy Green with the Mets or Chad Tracy with the Red Sox, Mattingly did not get the interim label taken off. 

All eyes now turn to Alex Cora. The two-time Boston manager was fired earlier this year, but he won a World Series with the Sox in 2018 under Dombrowski and figures to be a top target for Philadelphia and other teams that are going to be in the market for a new skipper. 

As far as player personnel goes, the Phillies have three key pending free agents to monitor: Jesus Luzardo, Alec Bohm and Luis Arraez, who the team traded for this trade deadline. I’d assume the team is comfortable with Bohm and Arraez walking, but that then leaves some question marks along the infield. 

And while the team has their outfielders set to return, they got little offensive production from that group outside of the handful of games Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper were out there. Would Philly target the likes of Randy Arozarena or Seiya Suzuki to help things out?

It’s a top-heavy lineup. Schwarber and Harper do a lot of the heavy lifting, and the likes of Bryson Stott, Trea Turner and Bohm didn’t exactly light the world on fire this season. 

The Phillies have some amazing win-now pieces, but they need more high-end depth, particularly offensively, to take the next step after another disappointing playoff showing.