The 2020 Chicago Cubs season was the 149th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 145th in the National League and the Cubs' 105th season at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were managed by David Ross, in his first year as Cubs manager, and played their home games at Wrigley Field as members of Major League Baseball's National League Central. The Cubs opened the season on July 24 against the Milwaukee Brewers and finished the season on the road against the Chicago White Sox.
The Cubs clinched a playoff berth on September 22, 2020, when the Philadelphia Phillies were swept in a doubleheader. This marked the Cubs' fifth playoff appearance in the previous six years. Four days later, they clinched the National League Central Division for the first time since 2017. They finished the regular season 34–26 to win the division by three games. They received the No. 3 seed in the newly expanded playoffs. However, they were swept in the NLWCS by the Miami Marlins.
The season was shortened to a 60-game schedule due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As of 2025, this is the Cubs' most recent NL Central title. This was also the last time they qualified for the postseason until 2025.
Previous season The Cubs finished the 2019 season 84–78 to finish in third place in the Central Division. The Cubs failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The season marked the final year with Joe Maddon as manager of the Cubs.
COVID-19 effects on season On March 12, 2020, MLB announced that because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the regular season would be delayed by at least two weeks in addition to the remainder of spring training being cancelled. Four days later, it was announced that the start of the season would be pushed back indefinitely due to the recommendation made by the CDC to restrict events of more than 50 people for eight weeks. On June 23, commissioner Rob Manfred unilaterally implemented a 60-game season. Players reported to training camps at their home ballparks on July 1 in order to resume spring training and prepare for a July 24 Opening Day.
Television broadcasts The season marked the debut season for the team's new cable television network, the Marquee Sports Network, which debuted in February 2020. All Cubs games, except for those subject to national broadcasts (on Fox, TBS and ESPN), were aired on Marquee. Previously, Cubs games were split between NBC Sports Chicago, WGN-TV, and ABC 7. On the day of the scheduled start of the shortened season, Marquee announced an agreement with Comcast, who had more than one millions cable subscribers in the Chicago area and which represented half of the market share for the home television market, the day of the first game of the season. Marquee was only able to work out a deal with one streaming provider, Hulu, for the 2020 season. Marquee also had agreements with DirecTV, but no other providers. Following the season, Hulu dropped the network.
Offseason
Coaching changes Prior to the end of the 2019 season, the Cubs announced that Joe Maddon would not return as manager for the Cubs in 2020. On October 24, 2019, the team announced that former Cub David Ross had been hired as the team's next manager. Maddon was later named the manager of the Los Angeles Angels.
Third base coach Brian Butterfield and strength and conditioning coach Tim Buss left the Cubs to join Maddon in Anaheim. Former San Diego Padres manager Andy Green was hired as bench coach. Craig Driver was hired to coach first base with Will Veneble moving to coach third. The Cubs also added Mike Napoli (quality assurance coach) and Chris Young (bullpen coach).
Rule changes For the 2020 season, MLB instituted several new rule changes including the following: Single trade deadline – there will no longer be a waiver trade deadline later in the year. 26-man roster – rosters will expand from 25 players, but no team may carry more than 13 pitchers. Three-batter minimum for pitchers - a pitcher must face three batters in a game before they can be removed unless there is an injury or the end of an inning.
Further rule changes came into effect in response to the COVID-19 pandemic including the use of the DH in the National League, a shortened schedule, and starting extra innings with a runner at second base. After the start of the season, MLB also instituted seven-inning games for doubleheaders.
Transactions
October 2019 Signed free agents OF Gabriel Disla and RHP Edgar Mercedes to minor league contracts.OF Nicholas Castellanos, LHP Xavier Cedeno, RHP Steve Cishek, LHP Cole Hamels, C Jonathan Lucroy, RHP Brandon Kintzler, RHP Pedro Strop, and 2B Ben Zobrist elected free agency. Source
November 2019 LHP Derek Holland elected free agencyNovember 4RHP Tony Barnette, RHP Kendall Graveman, RHP Brandon Morrow, and RHP David Phelps elected free agency. RHP Allen Webster sent outright to Iowa Cubs.Selected the contracts of C Miguel Amaya, RHP Tyson Miller, RHP Colin Rea, RHP Manuel Rodriguez, and SS Zack Short.November 23Traded cash considerations to Oakland Athletics for RHP Jharel Cotton.November 27Claimed LHP CD Pelham off waivers from Texas Rangers. Source
December 2019 LHP Danny Hultzen and 2B Addison Russell elected free agency.December 6Signed free agent RHP Dan Winkler.December 12Claimed RHP Trevor Megill off waivers from El Paso Chihuahuas.December 14Signed free agents RHP Ben Taylor, CF Ian Miller, RHP Brandon Morrow to minor league contracts and invited them to spring training.December 15Signed free agent RHP Caleb Simpson to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.December 16Signed free agent LHP Danny Hultzen to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.December 18Signed free agent LHP Rex Brothers to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.December 19Signed free agent 2B Hernán Pérez to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.December 20Signed free agent RHP Ryan Tepera. Signed free agent LF Noel Cuevas to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Source
January 2020 Traded CF Tony Kemp to Oakland Athletics for 1B Alfonso Rivas.January 17Traded 2B Clayton Daniel to Los Angeles Dodgers for RHP Casey Sadler.January 21Traded future considerations to Boston Red Sox for RHP Travis Lakins.January 24Sent LHP CD Pelham outright to Iowa.January 27Selected the contract of LHP Adam Choplic from Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.January 28Signed free agent RF Steven Souza Jr. Source
February 2020 Signed free agent RHP Jeremy Jeffress.February 5Invited non-roster RHP Dakota Mekkes, RHP Brock Stewart, LHP CD Pelham, 2B Trent Giambrone, C P.J. Higgins, RHP Oscar De La Cruz, and LHP Wyatt Short to spring training. Source
Regular season Due to the pandemic and the shortened season, Major League Baseball instituted certain rule changes which included the use of a universal designated hitter, a runner on second base to start extra innings, and a revised schedule. On July 30, the league and the union agreed that all remaining doubleheaders on the season would be seven innings. The league and players also agreed on an expanded postseason, giving eight teams in each league a playoff berth.
Game log Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the regular season was shortened to 60 games with teams playing 10 games against each other member of their division while also playing four games against each team in the corresponding division in the other league. The Cubs, therefore, played 10 games against each team in their division and four games against each team in the American League Central Division. On July 6, 2020, MLB announced the Cubs 60-game schedule which began on July 24 and ended on September 27.
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 || July 24 || Brewers || 3–0 || Hendricks (1–0) || Woodruff (0–1) ||—|| Wrigley Field || 1–0 || W1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 2 || July 25 || Brewers || 3–8 || Suter (1–0) || Darvish (0–1) ||—|| Wrigley Field || 1–1 || L1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 3 || July 26 || Brewers || 9–1 || Chatwood (1–0) || Peralta (0–1)||—|| Wrigley Field || 2–1 || W1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 || July 27 || @ Reds || 8–7 || Lester (1–0) || Miley (0–1) || Jeffress (1) || || 3–1 || W2 |- style="background:#cfc" | 5 || July 28 || @ Reds || 8–5 || Mills (1–0)|| Reed (0–1) ||—|| Great American Ball Park || 4–1 || W3 |- style="background:#fbb" | 6 || July 29 || @ Reds || 7–12 || Gray (2–0) || Hendricks (1–1) ||—|| Great American Ball Park || 4–2 || L1 |- style="background:#bbb" |—|| July 30 || @ Reds || colspan=7| Postponed (inclement weather) (Makeup date: Aug 29) |- style="background:#cfc;" | 7 || July 31 || Pirates || 6–3 || Darvish (1–1) || Williams (0–2) ||—|| Wrigley Field || 5–2 || W1
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 8 || August 1 || Pirates || 4–3 || Chatwood (2–0) || Keller (1–1) || Wick (1) || Wrigley Field || 6–2 || W2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 9 || August 2 || Pirates || 2–1 || Jeffress (1–0) || Ponce (0–1) ||—|| Wrigley Field || 7–2 || W3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 10 || August 3 || Royals || 2–0 || Mills (2–0) || Duffy (0–2) || Wick (2) || Wrigley Field || 8–2 || W4 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 11 || August 4 || Royals || 5–4 || Hendricks (2–1) || Singer (0–1) || Ryan (1) || Wrigley Field || 9–2 || W5 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 12 || August 5 || @ Royals || 6–1 || Darvish (2–1) || Bubic (0–2) ||—|| Kauffman Stadium || 10–2 || W6 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 13 || August 6 || @ Royals || 2–13 || Keller (1–0) || Chatwood (2–1) ||—|| Kauffman Stadium || 10–3 || L1 |- style="background:#bbbbbb;" | – || August 7 || @ Cardinals || colspan="7" | Postponed (Cardinals' COVID-19 outbreak) (Makeup date: Aug 17) |- style="background:#bbbbbb" | –|| August 8 || @ Cardinals ||colspan="7" | Postponed (Cardinals' COVID-19 outbreak) (Makeup date: Aug 19) |- style="background:#bbbbbb" | – || August 9 || @ Cardinals ||colspan="7" | Postponed (Cardinals' COVID-19 outbreak) (Makeup date: Sep 5) |- style="background:#cfc;" | 14 || August 11 || @ Indians || 7–1 || Lester (2–0) || Plutko (0–1) ||—|| || 11–3 || W1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 15 || August 12 || @ Indians || 7–2 || Hendricks (3–1) || Carrasco (2–2) ||—|| Progressive Field || 12–3 || W2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 16 || August 13 || Brewers || 4–2 || Darvish (3–1) || Anderson (0–2) || Wick (3) || Wrigley Field || 13–3 || W3 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 17 || August 14 || Brewers || 3–4 || Peralta (1–1) || Mills (2–1) || Hader (4) || Wrigley Field || 13–4 || L1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 18 || August 15 || Brewers || 5–6 || Phelps (2–1) || Jeffress (1–1) || Claudio (1) || Wrigley Field || 13–5 || L2 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 19 || August 16 || Brewers || 5–6 || Yardley (1–0) || Adam (0–1) || Hader (5) || Wrigley Field || 13–6 || L3 |- style="background:#fbb;" |20 || August 17 || Cardinals || 1–3 || Gallegos (1–0) || Hendricks (3–2) || Miller (2) || Wrigley Field || 13–7 || L4 |- style="background:#cfc;" |21 || August 17 || @ Cardinals || 5–4 || Underwood Jr. (1–0) || Webb (0–1) || Jeffress (2) || Wrigley Field || 14–7 || W1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 22 || August 18 || Cardinals || 6–3 || Darvish (4–1) || Ponce de Leon (0–2) || Wick (4) || Wrigley Field || 15–7 || W2 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 23 || August 19 || Cardinals || 3–9 || Webb (1–1) || Mills (2–2) ||—|| Wrigley Field || 15–8 || L1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 24 || August 19 || @ Cardinals || 4–2 || Jeffress (2–1) || Miller (0–1) || Kimbrel (1) || Wrigley Field || 16–8 || W1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 25 || August 21 || White Sox || 1–10 || Keuchel (4–2) || Lester (2–1) ||—|| Wrigley Field || 16–9 || L1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 26 || August 22 || White Sox || 4–7 || González (1–1) || Hendricks (3–3) ||—|| Wrigley Field || 16–10 || L2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 27 || August 23 || White Sox || 2–1 || Darvish (5–1) || Cease (4–2) || Jeffress (3) || Wrigley Field || 17–10 || W1 |- style="background:#cfc;"