 After losing records in 2013 and 2014, and after firing Rick Renteria and after Joe Maddon opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays and was hired by Epstein late in 2014, the Cubs secured a playoff berth in 2015 with the third-best record in MLB.They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card Game and the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series en route to the 2015 National League Championship Series, where they were eliminated by the New York Mets.The club entered the 2016 season looking to advance deep into the playoffs again.