What felt like a very strong Chicago Cubs team entering the postseason floundered when it mattered most: A club that during the regular season led the league in runs scored managed just one run in two wild-card playoff games and was swept in San Diego. A Cubs team that had World Series aspirations didn't even play a single game in October.

The Cubs still have the (likely) NL MVP winner, Pete Crow-Armstrong, to build around, and they'll get injured pitchers Justin Steele, Ben Brown, Edward Cabrera and (eventually) Cade Horton back, but they also have a whopping 15 free agents to parse through.

Some Cubs fans are happy about this, citing the need for change after another disappointing postseason exit, but there's a non-zero chance that some of their best free agents could end up with a division rival — a scary thought.

The Chicago Cubs face scary reality with lengthy list of upcoming free agents

Here's a list of all 15 Cubs free agents along with a potential rival that could wind up signing them away from the Friendly Confines.

Cardinals loom as real threats to steal Cubs starting pitchers

The St. Louis Cardinals collapsed down the stretch, but make no mistake: this is a team on the rise. The Cardinals' core of young position players, led by the likes of JJ Wetherholt, Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker, is legit, and there are prospects on the way, too. Where this team is lacking, though, is on the pitching side, particularly in the rotation.

While guys like Kyle Leahy and Michael McGreevy are fine options, they shouldn't be frontline starters as they are in St. Louis. The Cardinals might not be willing to be major spenders — taking them out of the bidding for Tarik Skubal, Michael King and others — but they could absolutely be a team interested in taking on veteran innings-eaters like Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes to lead their rotation.

Gausman, a 14-year veteran who has already pitched for the Cubs and Reds within the NL Central, might not be an ace anymore, but he's thrown at least 174 innings in each of the last five seasons, which can help any rotation. Holmes didn't pitch particularly well with the Cubs, but given his ground-ball tendencies and the Cardinals' middle infield tandem of Wetherholt and Masyn Winn, there's a chance he'd thrive in St. Louis on a team that could find itself in wild-card contention if they make the necessary pitching upgrades.

White Sox have similar needs to the Cubs, and could sign Seiya Suzuki as a result

The Chicago White Sox made it to Game 5 of the ALDS unexpectedly, but fell short, largely due to a reeling lineup and a rotation that struggled. For the White Sox to get over the postseason hump, they need to add a big right-handed bat and add to their rotation. Those are two things the Cubs should be prioritizing as well.

This could lead to a Seiya Suzuki pursuit for the South Siders. The White Sox will need to prove they're willing to spend the money needed to get him, but they not only have the money to do so, but they also have the clear need. Can you imagine Suzuki hitting behind Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami for the other Chicago team?

Suzuki is the best Cubs free agent the White Sox would pursue, but likely isn't the only one. Shota Imanaga would add a nice floor to a rotation in need of any somewhat reliable arms it can get, and you can do worse than Aaron Civale as a depth option. The White Sox have momentum and there's every reason to believe they'll be eager to spend to keep the good times rolling. Given their needs, they're a team the Cubs need to keep an eye on.

Don't rule out the Reds as a thorn in the Cubs' side in free agency

Not only do the Cincinnati Reds need to improve a lineup that ranked 27th in runs scored this season, but two positions of need for them are outfield and catcher. I'm not sold that the Reds would spend what it'd take to get Seiya Suzuki, but as it happens, the Cubs have Ian Happ and Carson Kelly, two of the best free agents at their respective positions, hitting free agency.

Happ can give the Reds 20+ home-run power with premier left-field defense, and Kelly, a high-end all-around catcher in his two-year stint in Chicago, would give the Reds needed insurance in the event Tyler Stephenson were to depart in free agency.

Losing out on Kelly wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for a Cubs team that has Miguel Amaya and Owen Ayers as internal options. But he was still very good for Chicago. Plus, who is replacing Happ, especially with Suzuki also a free agent? The Cubs watching good players sign with rivals while still having holes themselves would be a very bad thing for them.

Padres could prioritize pursuing Cubs starting pitching depth

I don't know how much money the San Diego Padres will be willing to spend, given that they have a ton of money already tied into long-term deals and a new ownership group in place, but what I do know is that they need starting pitching, and lots of it. They might not pursue guys like Holmes and Gausman, who should do fairly well in free agency, but what about lesser options like Matthew Boyd and David Peterson?

Boyd has durability concerns and wasn't quite as good for the Cubs this past season, but he's still a viable mid-rotation arm when healthy who'd help the Padres, who eliminated the Cubs this past October, better. Peterson has had his share of ups and downs in his career, but the Padres' infield ranked eighth in the majors in OAA, which could be a nice fit for a southpaw who generates a ton of ground balls. You can do worse than Peterson as a No. 4 or No. 5 starter.

The Padres could use any big-league-caliber starter they can get, and the Cubs have plenty available.