Emma: After an ugly outing, the Cubs need to significantly adjust their fundamental philosophies

(104.3 The score) The Cubs’ season officially ended at midnight local time in Chicago as Wednesday turned into Thursday, some 2,000 miles from Wrigley Field. The long road has been eventful and quite disappointing.

The Cubs didn’t see their 2026 campaign end simply because of 8-0 and 4-1 losses to the Padres in a two-game sweep in their National League wild-card series. They performed horribly in an uneven 162-game season that reflected their significant organizational problems.

The Cubs went 89-73 in the regular season, underperforming their Pythagorean record by six games and failing to reach manager Craig Counsell’s desired threshold of at least 90 wins. They had a 10-game losing streak that was offset by two 10-game winning streaks. They also struggled in September, when they ended up 11-13.

The Cubs were once again outclassed by their rival Brewers, who won their fourth straight NL Central crown, the last three coming after Counsell left Milwaukee for Chicago. The Cubs were then completely dominated by the red-hot Padres, who went 18-6 in September to win the NL’s top seed and the right to host a series at Petco Park instead of traveling to Wrigley Field.

Much more was expected of these Cubs, who have not been successful this season. After losing to the Brewers in a five-game National League series last October, they took a step back. And it was a reflection on the entire organization.

Any layoffs or staff changes will ring hollow. A real change must come in the philosophy of Cubs baseball operations under President Jed Hoyer.

The Cubs, who led MLB in runs per game, are expected to integrate platoons more into their daily lineups. The Cubs have seen five of their everyday players play 155 games or more this season. In 2025, they had six position players who played at least 150 games. Every September, they all seemed exhausted.

Cubs first baseman Michael Busch regressed in 2026 and shouldn’t have been exhausted for 160 games. Veteran outfielder Ian Happ may have played his final games with the team after logging 156 games this season. He hit .145 with a .484 OPS against lefties this season. The addition of left-hander Tyrone Taylor at the trade deadline was long overdue, as Happ shouldn’t have been an ordinary player over the past two seasons.

The Padres use a high-platoon formation that has worked down the stretch. Look no further than Game 2 hero Gavin Sheets, who hit a key two-run homer while pinch-hitting in the fourth inning on Wednesday before being retired later in the eighth inning against left-hander David Peterson.

The Cubs offense has been really good throughout the 2026 season, but it has also had some inconsistent stretches. The Cubs scored 20 double-digit runs, but were also shut out 14 times.

Hoyer prioritized run prevention and built a great defense, which is an admirable strategy. But when the composition itself is inconsistent, its profile must change.

After all, the Cubs team defense can’t stop the ball from going over the wall. The Cubs allowed 1.44 home runs per nine innings, which was second-last in baseball behind the Athletics. That mark was tied with the Rockies, who play their games on a launch pad at Coors Field.

The Cubs need to overhaul their pitching philosophy to place more emphasis on strikeouts. The Cubs have averaged 7.84 strikeouts per nine innings this season, which ranks 26th in baseball. The top four teams in this category were the Phillies, Brewers, Guardians and Dodgers, all four of whom are playoff teams that remain alive.

Rather than hoping for a batted ball to turn into an out, the Cubs would benefit from more often preventing the ball from being put in play in the first place.

When it comes to the Cubs bullpen, they can’t rely on the organization’s pitching infrastructure providing them with cost-effective magic every year. Hoyer’s preference is to find rehab projects in quantity rather than spending big money on relief in free agency. There are often success stories like those of Ryan Rolison and Jacob Webb, but this philosophy comes at a cost, as Counsell must use a patchwork approach to achieve high-leverage results.

The Cubs need their own Mason Miller, Jhoan Duran or Aroldis Chapman in the back of the bullpen. They haven’t had one in about a decade.

In San Diego on Wednesday night, the bell rang in the ninth inning as Miller recorded the final three outs of the 2026 Cubs. Back in Chicago, with the lights remaining out at Wrigley Field, it was a predictable outcome.

The Cubs’ frustrating flaws were exposed once again – not just in two games against the Padres, but in the previous 162 games.

What led to this result once again for the Cubs needs to be fundamentally changed.

Chris Emma covers the Bears and the Chicago sports scene for 104.3 The Score.