CHICAGO (AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong says settling into Chicago and becoming one of the faces of the Cubs matter more to him than the windfall from the six-year, $115 million contract the All-Star center fielder signed with the team.
“The best part is knowing that I’m here, it’s where I wanted to be,” Crow-Armstrong said at a news conference Friday. The Cubs announced the deal after Thursday’s 10-4 loss to Washington on opening day. "When I leave the field
yesterday and go back to my place, and knowing this is going to be my routine for the next six-plus (years) … that’s what I’m most excited about.”
The 24-year-old Crow-Armstrong had already agreed to a one-year agreement for 2026 calling for $894,000 while playing in the majors. His new deal includes a $5 million signing bonus payable by May 15 and salaries of $10 million each in 2027, ’28 and ’29, $20 million in 2030 and $30 million apiece in 2031 and ’32. The pact also has performance bonuses.
Crow-Armstrong said his agents, led by Ryan Hamill of Creative Artists Agency, told him he might be blown away by huge contract numbers that would surface on paper once negotiations with the Cubs started in January 2025.
“They said, 'Hey you’re gonna see what it says on the sheet and you’re going to start (spinning)’ and I did,” Crow-Armstrong said.
Crow-Armstrong won a Gold Glove in 2025, his third season with the Cubs, when he batted .247 with 31 home runs, and 95 RBIs. Despite slumping at the plate after the All-Star break, the Southern California native became the first Cubs player with 30 or more homers, stolen bases (35) and doubles (37) in a season and only the second Cub after Sammy Sosa to go deep 30 or more times and swipe 30 or more bases.
Jed Hoyer, the Cubs president of baseball operations, stopped short of calling Crow-Armstrong the new face of the franchise. Yet Hoyer said the outfielder will not only help the NL Central-favorite Cubs win, but strengthen their brand and win over fans.
“He’s a top-10 selling jersey for a reason, because who his is as a person and who he is as a player." Hoyer said. “The more kids around the country, not just in Chicago … wearing Cubs uniforms the better.”
The Cubs added veteran third baseman Alex Bregman in the offseason via a $175 million, five-year contract in free agency after winning 92 games last season and then falling to Milwaukee in the NL divisional round.
Chicago also has signed second baseman Nico Hoerner, another of its three 2025 Gold Glover winners, to a six-year contract. The team has yet to formally announce the deal, marking another major commitment for the franchise, because it was pending a physical.
Crow-Armstrong, joined by his parents on Friday, embraces leading the Cubs deeper into the postseason — and to increased prominence.
“I think the national representation is important,” he said. “It's something that I’m going to take a lot of pride in being responsible for. I’ve got good people to learn from so I’m set up to succeed here."
Crow-Armstrong was selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2020 amateur draft. He was traded to the Cubs in the Javier Báez deal in July 2021, then made his major league debut in 2023, going 0 for 14 in 13 games. He struggled early in 2024 before batting .289 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in his last 57 games.
Although the Cubs didn’t draft Crow-Armstrong, Hoyer considers the outfielder a “homegrown” talent the team wants to see reach superstar status.
“I think the most important thing is this is a player we wanted to make a commitment to,” Hoyer said. “We had five years of control, but honestly felt that wasn’t enough.
“And like I said, he’s really a great person to invest in. It made sense to do this now and make sure that he was wearing a Cubs uniform for a long time.”
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