MLB playoffs fatal flaws: Why Cubs, Red Sox and Astros got swept – and how to fix them
MLB playoffs fatal flaws: Why Cubs, Red Sox and Astros got swept – and how to fix them
Kristie Ackert, USA TODAYThu, October 1, 2026 at 10:11 PM UTC
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Pete Crow-Armstrong hit 45 home runs and stole 41 bases this season. Only six players in major league history had done that before him.
In two playoff games against the San Diego Padres, he and Alex Bregman went a combined 0-for-15 with eight strikeouts.
The Cubs scored more runs than any team in baseball during the regular season. They scored one in the wild-card round.
They weren't the only ones that didn't actually make it to October and are hitting the golf course early.
The Boston Red Soxscored two runs in 18 innings against the New York Yankees. In Houston, Astros right-hander Hunter Brown threw 36 pitches in an elimination game and got two outs. The Chicago White Sox pinned four runs on him in the first.
None of this came out of nowhere.
Boston finished 26th in the majors in home runs. The Cubs built a rotation with the idea the lineup would cover up the warts. Houston needed a club-record 19 starting pitches to het through 162 games.
The postseason found the fatal flaws.
Here's what sank each team and what it will take for them to get back stronger next fall.
Why Chicago Cubs lost to San Diego Padres
The Cubs lineup was supposed to carry them. For six months, it did.
Chicago led the majors in runs and hit 220 home runs. Pete Crow-Armstrong joined the 40-40 club. Most nights, the lineup covered up the Cubs fatal flaw: pitching.
The rotation was flawed from the start. Shota Imanaga allowed 34 home runs , the most in the majors. They tried to fixe it by acquiring Kevin Gausman, who posted a 5.04 ERA after the trade, and Clay Holmes, who had never started a postseason game.
The plan was to outscore everybody and it lasted for one inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado homered off Matthew Boyd in the first inning of Game 1. Michael King took it from there.
The Cubs went 80-for-62, a .129 batting average over the two games.
The fix starts on the mound. Imanaga, Gausman, Boyd and Holmes are all headed to free agency, so Chicago is rebuilding the rotation. Help is coming, just not soon. Cade Horton, who finished second in 2025 Rookie of the Year voting, had Tommy John surgery in April. Justin Steele, a 2023 All-Star and under contract through 2027, will be back from his second elbow surgery. Jaxon Wiggins, the Cubs' top prospect, can hit 100 mph, but also had a 7.83 ERA in Triple-A.
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The Cubs have to spend on a stopper, one starter they can rely on and give the ball to for Game 1. They need to go all in on a pitcher, so why not go for broke with Tarik Skubal, the two-time American League Cy Young winner. He is going to be expensive, but he turns them into a contender.
Why Boston Red Sox lost to New York Yankees
Willson Contreras' solo homer in the sixth inning of Game 2 eneded a streak of 26 2/3 innings without a run for the Red Sox.
Boston scored two runs in two games.
The offense looked a lot like the one Boston had all season. The Red Sox finished 23rd in the majors in runs and 26th in home runs. Against the Yankees, they managed seven hits in 18 innings.
The lack of runs shaped everything else.
First-year manager Chad Tracy pulled both his starters, Payton Tolle and Sonny Gray, with two outs in the fifth inning and Boston trailing 1-0. He said he felt he had to be aggressive because the team could not score.
He managed like one run would beat him and with the lineup he had, it could.
The fix is getting what general manager Craig Breslow dealt away in 2025 and hasn't replaced: a middle-of-the-order power hitter - or two.
Brandon Lowe, who hit 35 homers for Pittsburgh, is a free agent they could probably get at a bargain. Boston also needs more from players already on the roster. Jarren Duran's production has dropped two years running, and Roman Anthony needs to stay healthy.
Why Houston Astros lost to Chicago White Sox
Hunter Brown needed 36 pitches to get two outs.
He had a 2.68 ERA over an eight-start stretch late in the season, the closest thing Houston had to a sure thing. The White Sox scored four runs on him and chased him in the first inning. The offense rallied to within a run, but the bullpen couldn't hold it and the season was over.
Houston's rotation spent most of 2026 on the injured list. Brown strained his shoulder in April. Tatsuya Imai and Cristian Javier went down within weeks. The Astros were 20-31 by mid-May and used a franchise-record 19 starting pitchers. Their starters carried a 4.97 ERA, 28th int he majors, into September. The staff walked 628 batters, the most in the American League.
Yordan Alvarez is the only reason the Astros were able to pull out the American League West title with an 81-81 record. He won the AL batting title at .316, hit 42 homers and led the majors in on-base and slugging percentage. He is under contract through 2028. Since he signed a six-year extension in 2022, the Astros have won one playoff series. They are wasting his prime without pitching.
The fix is two dependable starters to slot in behind Brown. Imai can opt out of his three-year, $54 million deal. Mike Burrows had a 5.99 ERA before he went on the injured list. Javier has been up and down when healthy. None of them is a sure thing for 2027.
Michael King has an opt-out after this season. Though he missed chunks of time with a thoracic-outlet nerve issue and a knee inflammation, he just threw a gem in the wild card round.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB playoffs fatal flaws: Why Cubs, Red Sox and Astros got swept – and how to fix them
Source: “AOL Sports”
