LOS ANGELES — The Chicago Cubs and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong have tabled contract talks after exchanging extension proposals and not finding enough common ground to close a deal, sources briefed on the negotiations told The Athletic.
The Cubs already have Crow-Armstrong under club control through the 2030 season, and he has not yet played 162 career games at the major-league level. In that context, neither side felt a particular sense of urgency.
Even if officials recognized a low probability of a deal coming to fruition, it still made sense for Chicago’s front office and Crow-Armstrong’s agency to entertain concepts in spring training and possibly lay some groundwork for the future.
MLB.com first mentioned Crow-Armstrong’s contract discussions Saturday via X. Team and league sources characterized the outline of that report — a deal potentially worth around $75 million — as inaccurate.
The parameters, though, were discussed in depth around the start of the season, which began early for the Cubs with the Tokyo Series. By that point, young center fielder Jackson Merrill had not yet signed his nine-year, $135 million contract extension with the San Diego Padres, which was quickly viewed as a team-friendly deal.
Crow-Armstrong’s agent, Ryan Hamill, had visited the Cubs’ Arizona complex in March. Hamill helps oversee Creative Artists Agency’s baseball division, which finalized Corbin Carroll’s eight-year, $111 million contract extension during spring training in 2023. Carroll was only 22 at that stage, with just 32 games on his major-league resume.
Like Crow-Armstrong, Carroll was a first-round pick out of high school who projected to have a stable floor with his ability to play center field and steal bases. Carroll then produced an enormous 2023 season, becoming the National League’s rookie of the year and making a World Series run with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Crow-Armstrong, however, did not produce offensively the way Carroll did during his major-league debut. Merrill also had a far superior rookie season to Crow-Armstrong, who needed a strong second half to boost his overall OPS to .670. Still, Crow-Armstrong’s total contributions were worth 2.3 wins above replacement, per Baseball Reference.
For the Cubs and Crow-Armstrong, another reference point appears to be Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Harris II, who signed an eight-year, $72 million contract extension (plus two club options) as a rookie in 2022. Another defense-first player, Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, signed a seven-year, $63.5 million contract extension (plus a club option) last year.
At the age of 23, Crow-Armstrong still has a lot of room to grow as a left-handed hitter. He wants to develop into a complete, well-rounded player, not someone just known for highlight-reel catches. Still, he understands that his elite defense at a premium position and game-changing speed should create the consistent value that typically leads to a long career.
At the same time, the Cubs recognize that Crow-Armstrong has the dynamic skills and magnetic personality to potentially become a superstar at Wrigley Field, which would be a kind of symmetry for the young player who was acquired in the Javier Báez trade. Tabling discussions isn’t the same as cutting off negotiations forever.
(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
