MESA, Ariz. — In a highly anticipated move, the Chicago Cubs reached an agreement with Pete Crow-Armstrong on a contract extension, league sources told The Athletic on Monday, a deal that will cement the young center fielder as a foundational player at Wrigley Field.
This represents a generational moment for Crow-Armstrong, who turns 24 on Wednesday, as well as for a big-market franchise that wanted a potential superstar to anchor its media platforms, iconic ballpark and surrounding real-estate empire.
With Opening Day fast approaching, both sides viewed that as a deadline to get a deal done, wanting to avoid in-season negotiations that could become distracting. Cubs officials and Crow-Armstrong’s agent, Ryan Hamill of CAA, had engaged in this process before, exchanging proposals around last year’s season-opening Tokyo Series. Amicably, they decided to table contract talks and revisit the concept later.
While this deal is pending a medical review, Crow-Armstrong’s bet on himself should pay off exponentially. He played at an MVP level during the first half of last season, and the fans overwhelmingly voted him into the All-Star Game. A deep offensive slump in the second half didn’t stop him from becoming the first Cub in franchise history with a 30-30-30 season of this kind: 31 home runs, 35 stolen bases and 37 doubles.
Experiencing two playoff rounds at Wrigley Field and winning a Gold Glove at a premium position reinforced the shared belief that this should be a long-term partnership. This winter, Chicago’s front office and Crow-Armstrong’s camp circled spring training as the ideal time to reconnect and plan for the future.
Crow-Armstrong wouldn’t have become eligible for the arbitration system until next year. He was not scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2030 season. Personal elements, however, have always driven this hard-charging player, and the Cubs recognized that this contract extension would represent a major organizational victory.
“He’s still learning, so I expect him to keep getting better and better,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said during last year’s end-of-season briefing with the Chicago media. “It may be gradual. It may come all at once. But I have no question that he’ll continue to get better. The one thing with Pete that I always focus on is, when he’s not hitting or struggling offensively, he’s a great player. And when he’s hitting, he’s a superstar.”
Crow-Armstrong grew up in Southern California as the only child of two parents who worked in show business. His mother, Ashley Crow, famously played the mom in “Little Big League,” a movie about a boy who takes over the Minnesota Twins. His father, Matt Armstrong, also racked up acting credits before becoming a teacher, a midlife career switch that made an impression on a young Crow-Armstrong, who appreciated the resolve it took to make that change.
When an area scout for the Cubs visited their home ahead of the 2020 draft, he noticed a framed Sports Illustrated cover on the wall — the one with a joyous Anthony Rizzo celebrating the final out in the 2016 World Series and the end of a 108-year championship drought.
Matt Armstrong had grown up in Naperville, Ill., a western suburb that made him a big Chicago sports fan. Years later, around the time when Cubs executives Theo Epstein and Hoyer acquired Rizzo and initiated a full-scale rebuild, the father told his son that now was the time to get on board. A bandwagon fan would not be welcomed.
Crow-Armstrong began following the Cubs and emerged as a baseball prodigy, competing for Team USA at multiple levels and going to Harvard-Westlake School, a prestigious academic institution in Los Angeles also known for producing major-league players.
The Cubs still passed on Crow-Armstrong with the No. 16 pick in a draft disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Three selections later, the New York Mets picked Crow-Armstrong and bought out his college commitment to Vanderbilt.
That missed opportunity came back around at the 2021 trade deadline, a defining moment for Hoyer, who had been elevated to replace Epstein and charged with assembling “The Next Great Cubs Team.”
As part of an enormous sell-off that also included trading Rizzo and Kris Bryant, Hoyer acquired Crow-Armstrong for Javier Báez, an upcoming free agent and an infielder with so many unbelievable gifts that he was nicknamed “El Mago.”
Amazingly, Chicago wound up getting a prospect with a similarly magnetic on-field personality.
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit 31 home runs last season after hitting 10 homers in 2024. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
At that time, the Cubs were fortunate that Crow-Armstrong was still recovering from shoulder surgery and had played only six A-ball games to that point. Otherwise, the Mets likely would have made him untouchable in trade talks.
It still took a village to help Crow-Armstrong grow into one of the sport’s most dynamic forces.
Cubs executive Jared Banner, who previously oversaw New York’s farm system, vouched for Crow-Armstrong’s skills and makeup and already enjoyed an existing relationship with the player that helped establish trust. A group of hitting instructors — including Dustin Kelly, John Mallee, Rachel Folden and Steven Pollakov — worked with Crow-Armstrong to refine his powerful left-handed swing and channel his emotions.
Major-league coaches such as Willie Harris and Quintin Berry taught Crow-Armstrong about the intricacies of playing center field. Cubs manager Craig Counsell took pressure off Crow-Armstrong as a rookie in 2024, reminding him to focus on defense and giving him the freedom to make mistakes.
Counsell then challenged Crow-Armstrong to get better in all areas of his game. An unproven player gained a better sense of routine and perspective by listening to accomplished teammates such as Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ and Justin Turner, and following their example.
That concerted group effort at multiple levels of the organization helped push Crow-Armstrong onto Team USA for the World Baseball Classic and into the rare air of baseball players with crossover appeal and marketing juice.
Around the team, though, he is simply known as “Pete,” not “PCA.”
“Look, because of just who Pete is and because of his talents, there’s always going to be very high expectations,” Counsell said during spring training. “That’s the blessing and the curse of being very talented, right? And that’s OK. I think Pete understands that better than we give him credit for, right? He understands that very, very well. And I think he handles it very, very well. So it’s part of it. You’re going to talk about people like that a lot.”
Crow-Armstrong is still far from a finished product, seemingly one bad at-bat away from slamming his bat or chucking his helmet. The ultimate goal for the 2026 Cubs is winning the World Series, and another long journey starts with Thursday’s season opener in Wrigleyville. But this deal would keep him centered in a great American sports city, as the new face of a historic franchise.
“I love Chicago more and more,” Crow-Armstrong told Chicago Magazine for a recent cover story. “It’s just an incredible city. The people are great. They give a s—. They aren’t just baseball fans who go to the game like Dodgers fans to take pictures and whatever. They are paying attention. They care.”
— The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Sahadev Sharma contributed to this report.
