Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs close to agreement on long-term contract extension: source

MESA, Ariz. — Pete Crow-Armstrong celebrates his 24th birthday Wednesday. The icing on his cake will be knowing he’s on the verge of signing a long-term contract extension that will make him a Cub into his 30s.

A Gold Glove center fielder with elite speed who batted .247/.287/.481 with 31 homers and stolen 35 bases for the Cubs in 2025, Crow-Armstrong got on a plane with teammates after the Cubs’ last spring training game Tuesday having an agreement with the team that will be announced Thursday at Wrigley Field, which is Opening Day, a source said.

The Cubs will buy out Crow-Armstrong’s arbitration years and get cost certainty with the deal while giving Crow-Armstrong, who was scheduled to make $820,000 this season, financial security. Crow-Armstrong would have been eligible for arbitration in 2027 and free agency in 2031. The Cubs and Crow-Armstrong’s representatives were known to be discussing an extension on and off for about a year.

“He’s going to be an elite player in this game for a long time,” third baseman Alex Bregman said Tuesday. “The sky is the limit. He’s going to improve in every aspect of the game. He’s just scratching the surface of what he’s capable of.”

Terms of Crow-Armstrong’s deal were reported by USA Today to be in excess of $100 million for at least six years. The Padres signed 22-year-old center fielder Jackson Merrill, similar to Crow-Armstrong in service time, to a nine-year, $135 million deal that could be surpassed by Crow-Armstrong’s in dollars.

With face-of-the-franchise swagger and energy, Crow-Armstrong added 37 doubles and four triples to his home run total and became the fastest player to reach 30 homers and 30 stolen bases in a season. He was the first 30/30 Cub since Sammy Sosa in 1995.

“What do fans want?” outfielder Ian Happ said. “They want more triples, stolen bases, highlight plays. He’s an electric player who plays with an energy the fans appreciate. It’s been easy for him to come up as a top prospect and for the fans to fall in love with him.”

But while establishing himself as the best defensive center fielder in baseball, Crow-Armstrong faded offensively, producing a .634 OPS following the All-Star break after posting an .847 OPS that earned him an All-Star Game appearance and early MVP consideration.

A free swinger with a propensity to chase, Crow-Armstrong struck out 155 times while drawing just 29 walks. But in the end, he produced a 6.0 WAR per Baseball Reference, second on the Cubs to Nico Hoerner (6.2), led all outfielders with 24 Outs Above Average and finished ninth in MVP voting.

Crow-Armstrong was 3-for-10 in the Wild Card Series against the Padres and 2-for-19 in the NLDS against the Brewers with no extra base hits and one stolen base in the postseason. He was 2-for-18 in seven games in spring training, which concludes Tuesday, and hit two homers in one game for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

With designs on a deep postseason run, the Cubs signed Bregman to a $175 million deal in the offseason and traded for Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera. Their projected luxury tax payroll for 2025, per Spotrac, was $224,462,380 at Crow-Armstrong’s current salary, ranking them 11th among major league teams.

Manager Craig Counsell declined to comment on the deal because it’s not official yet. But he knew it was a good day for the Cubs and Crow-Armstrong.

“Young, very talented players who do very special things, you want them to be in your franchise,” Counsell said.

Crow-Armstrong has embraced the city, stayed in the public eye hanging out with Caleb Williams at sporting events, and is exceptionally popular with young fans.

“Pete’s an incredibly entertaining player,” Counsell said. “That’s a gift that he has.

“It’s who Pete is, he’s not putting on an act. A different player it wouldn’t work for but it’s how he needs to play.”