Paul Sullivan: 5 players the Cubs need to step up to make a long postseason run

CHICAGO — Baseball’s regular season is a study in contradictions.

It goes on forever, but when it finally ends, it seems like it went by in the blink of an eye.

Now comes the delicious part: the start of the 2025 postseason, in which 12 teams that made the grade theoretically have the same chance to become World Series champions.

The Chicago Cubs, despite some second-half struggles and the devastating loss of starter Cade Horton to a fractured rib, can surprise the experts if manager Craig Counsell makes the right moves, a few breaks go their way and a few key players perform like they’re capable of on the big stage.

With the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres starting Tuesday at Wrigley Field, here are five players the Cubs need to step up for a long October run:

1. Michael Busch

The left-handed slugger quietly became a star this year, and his 34 home runs are the fourth-most by a Cubs first baseman behind Derrek Lee (46 in 2005), Ernie Banks (37 in 1962) and Lee (35 in 2009). Busch picked up the slack during the prolonged absence of left-handed hitter Kyle Tucker and had a monstrous September with eight homers and a 1.006 OPS heading into Sunday’s 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the regular-season finale.

After Counsell moved Busch into the leadoff spot against right-handers in late July, the 25-year-old really took off. He had 16 homers and an .876 OPS in the top spot entering Sunday, and he went 4 for 4 on Saturday with two home runs and four RBIs. He might have hit for the cycle if St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol hadn’t ordered an intentional walk in his final at-bat. Busch also hit his fifth home run leading off a game and admitted he’s looking to hit one out when he starts off.

“Since I stepped into that position, I just wanted to be myself, have an at-bat, be aggressive and just work from there,” he said. “It doesn’t make it too much different. I just get up to the plate a little quicker. That’s kind of been my mindset.”

Counsell has taken a lot of heat for sitting Busch against left-handers in favor of Justin Turner. It will be interesting to see how he handles the position in the postseason.

Shota Imanaga

The popular left-hander has pitched in the postseason in Japan, so this is nothing new for him. Imanaga is expected to start one of the first two games, with Matthew Boyd going in the other one.

Imanaga told me through his interpreter Saturday, “There’s nerves before every start” he makes, but he doesn’t expect the postseason spotlight to get to him.

“Just because it’s the playoffs, I don’t think there is a difference there,” he said.

I told Imanaga he never looks nervous with his quirky facial expressions and body language on the mound.

“Maybe if a Japanese person saw me, they might think I’m nervous,” he said with a grin.

Either way, Imanaga has made Cubs fans nervous with the alarming number of home runs he has allowed — 20 in the second half alone. He understands the issue and said, “If you miss a pitch, they’re not going to miss it and they’re not going to take it.”

Exactly.

“If we were winning games, it wouldn’t be a problem,” he said. “But the fact we lost the games I’ve started, it’s definitely something I’ve thought about and I’m working on.”

Imanaga can dominate when he’s on, so he needs to return to his happy place.

Pete Crow-Armstrong

Tucker may be the Cubs’ best hitter, but they’ve shown they can succeed without him. And because he missed so much time with his calf injury, expectations for a quick rebound are relatively muted.

But Crow-Armstrong’s brilliant defense makes him even more valuable in the postseason, and he began slugging again this weekend with a pair of home runs after hitting only four in his first 59 games after the All-Star break, a stretch in which he batted .207 with a .595 OPS.

“It’s been a tale of two halves for sure,” he said Friday. “But it’s being able to go home and be honest with myself and analyzing how the second half has been, more so than dwelling on how bad it’s been.

“Putting my focus in the right place and understanding, like (Counsell) says, that there are so many ups and downs in this game and keeping the main thing the main thing is always a great driving force. I’ve got people that bring me back down to earth really quickly here.”

Crow-Armstrong creates energy at Wrigley Field like the Fermilab accelerator. The Cubs need all the energy they can get from him in October.

Brad Keller

Usually the most important reliever is the closer. But Keller has been the key to the bullpen’s success all season. And with Daniel Palencia still getting back into a groove after recent struggles and an injured list stint with a shoulder strain, Keller might be used in ninth innings with the game on the line.

But who knows? Counsell consistently harps on his mantra that they’re all just “out-getters” without defined roles. Palencia converted 22 of 25 save opportunities, while Keller converted only 3 of 6 chances. But Keller is the one constant in the pen, and his 0.33 second-half ERA was the best among major-league relievers entering Sunday.

Keller said the Cubs relievers all know they can be used in high-leverage situations. The order in which they appear is irrelevant, he believes.

“It’s kind of business as usual — that’s how we’re all going about it,” Keller said. “It’s the same mentality, next man up. Whoever gets that chance to put up a zero, we just find our role, find our pockets and go from there.”

Keller will be a free agent after the season and stands to cash in after proving himself in the Cubs bullpen. Remember, the White Sox gave him a cameo last year before letting him go in May to make room for Mike Clevinger, a head-scratching move by the Sox front office during their record-setting 121-loss season.

Carson Kelly

Cubs catchers had a combined minus-.03 fWAR in 2024, the second-worst in baseball to the White Sox’s minus-2.4. Signing Kelly bolstered the catching corps immensely, especially with Miguel Amaya missing most of the season.

Cubs catchers had a combined 4.0 WAR entering Sunday’s finale, ranked third in the National League and eighth in the majors.

Kelly couldn’t possibly maintain the numbers he put up in March and April, when he posted a 1.347 OPS. Those are Bugs Bunny numbers that weren’t sustainable. But his 2.6 fWAR is a career high, and he has handled the Cubs staff well. After a summer swoon, he hit four home runs in the first six games of September.

“Taking more chances,” he said. “Early on in the year I was taking more chances. I went back over the notes and things I wrote down early in the year, and now I’m getting back to what I know.”

Kelly has no RBIs since Sept. 10 and needs to get his power back in the postseason to help lengthen the lineup.

____