Cubs-Padres position-by-position breakdown

The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres will face off in the National League Wild Card Series for the second consecutive year. As the No. 4 seed in the National League, San Diego hosts the No. 5-seeded Cubs starting Tuesday. The Cubs previously defeated the Padres in three games during the 2025 postseason at Wrigley Field.

Position evaluations give San Diego the advantage at first base, where Ty France batted .321 in the second half compared to Michael Busch's 20 home runs. However, Chicago holds the edge across the rest of the infield, featuring Nico Hoerner at second base, Alex Bregman at third base, and Dansby Swanson at shortstop.