So the Cubs clinched a 2025 playoff berth — what's next?

CINCINNATI – Even in the midst of a champagne-popping celebration Wednesday, Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson caught himself thinking about the next step.

The team had clinched a postseason berth but were still technically in the division race, and could at least claim home-field advantage with the top Wild Card spot if they didn’t let up.

He nudged his thoughts back into the moment with a reminder that it was OK to celebrate.

“It's not the end goal, it's just a part of the end goal,” Swanson told the Sun-Times Thursday afternoon. “And that's been the message.

“I've seen and been a part of teams where sometimes you can have a letdown, in a way, because you can get so emotionally invested. And this group does such a good job of being able to celebrate all the little things along the way, even to before [Wednesday].”

Celebrating the little things has been a major part of the team’s identity this season, from hustle plays on the bases, to smart defensive decisions. The dugout’s reactions in those moments reflect that year-long emphasis.

Punching their ticket to the postseason was bigger, and elicited a celebration complete with champagne showers, beer pours and cigars. But throughout the festivities, the same theme kept surfacing in the players’ comments.

“This is just one step in where we ultimately want to go,” left hander Matthew Boyd said. “We're not done yet. There's still a mission to be accomplished, and lots of steps in that. We're all well aware of that. But you want to take these moments to celebrate, reflect on the long journey that it has been, because it's been a special year.”

Said second baseman Nico Hoerner: “Hopefully it’s just the start, but still a huge milestone along the way.”

Said center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong: “I want more of this. I think this is just our first taste.”

His word choice was apt, as champagne dripped down his face.

Once in the playoffs, champagne showers are customary for each round that a team wins. To reach the World Series, the Cubs would likely go through three more.

In theory, they could still win the NL Central and a first-round bye. But with the entering Friday six games back of the Brewers and a little more than a week left in the season, they’d need a stunning collapse from the Brewers to make that unlikely outcome a reality.

So, the Cubs are probably headed to a best-of-three Wild Card series. As they took the field Friday at Great American Ballpark, they occupied the top NL wild card spot, with a five-game lead on the Padres.

With that cushion, it doesn't look like the Cubs will need a scorching finish to hold onto home-field advantage. But it isn't guaranteed either.

Veteran Justin Turner, who went to the playoffs nine consecutive years with the Dodgers, believes in the power of peaking at the right time — another reason to end the season on an upswing.

“I've been on teams that have been really good, and won over 100 games, and didn't play any meaningful games in September,” Turner said in a recent conversation with the Sun-Times. “And trying to go into the playoffs, and get back into the compete, flip-the-switch mode of meaningful games is difficult.”

Predictably, the Cubs didn’t put up a hangover lineup the day after clinching. Although their regulars still only managed one hit Thursday as Reds right-hander Hunter Greene threw the first nine-inning shutout of his career.

It wasn’t time to panic. But the Cubs also have been clear that they don’t want to coast.

“Something about this team that's so cool is that we’re always looking to achieve the best version of this group,” Swanson said. “We all understand that if we want to get to where we want to get to, we have to play really good baseball. And we're capable of that. We've shown that throughout the year, we've been doing that recently, and that that trend needs to continue in order to get what it is that we are wanting.”