Traditional subgrouping has long been a cornerstone of historical linguistics. In recent decades, however, Bayesian methods have played an increasing role in linguistic phylogenetics, which has prompted debate about the relationship between the two approaches. These discussions have largely focused on the results of Bayesian analyses, which have been especially controversial within Indo-European. While these debates have reinvigorated interest in phylogenetic research, they have also tended to obscure the broader methodological advantages of Bayesian inference. To correct this imbalance, I identify and discuss three critical limitations of traditional subgrouping that this framework overcomes. These advantages underscore the necessity of integrating Bayesian inference into linguistic phylogenetics.