Details Emerge on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s $115M Cubs Extension

Cubs' star centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong agreed to an extension last night with the team.

We now know what the details of the contract are, as the Cubs lock up their young star.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the contract is a six-year, $115 million extension. The deal will start in 2027 and does not include a club option.

Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Chicago Cubs are in agreement on a six-year, $115 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. The deal starts in 2027 and does not include a club option, allowing Crow-Armstrong to hit free agency before his age-31 season.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 24, 2026

This means Crow-Armstrong will hit free agency before his age-31 season, buying out two possible free agency years.

More on Crow-Armstrong's extension

This, as one can see, is an incredibly unique deal.

According to Passan, the lack of a club option in this deal is rare. He also classifies it as "by far the biggest guarantee for a player with five years of club control that doesn't include an option." It also means the Cubs "buy out four years of Crow-Armstrong in arbitration and get two free agent years."

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, with escalators, the deal could reach as high as $133 million.

Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

This is the largest Cubs extension in team history, passing Carlos Zambrano's 2007 deal.

It is not to be understated how huge a deal this is for Chicago. Crow-Armstrong had voiced his desire to stay in Chicago, and now he has an extension after his second full season.

This is also a nice birthday present for Crow-Armstrong, who turns 24 tomorrow on March 25.

Crow-Armstrong was a first-round pick by the New York Mets in the 2020 MLB Draft out of high school. He was traded to the Cubs in 2021 as part of the Javier Báez deal and would debut with the Cubs in 2023 for a cup of coffee in the major leagues.

2024 was Crow-Armstrong's first full season. In 123 games, he hit an underwhelming .237 with 10 home runs and a .670 OPS.

However, his glove would prove to be one of the best in all of baseball.

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

That would carry over to his breakout season in 2025. In the first half of the season, Crow-Armstrong hit .265 with 25 home runs, 27 stolen bases and an .847 OPS.

In the second half of the season, though, Crow-Armstrong hit a wall. He hit a disappointing .216 with just six home runs, eight stolen bases and a .634 OPS.

That said, PCA would have his first 30-30 season while winning a Gold Glove award thanks to a +24 Outs Above Average, tops in the majors.

While there are some questions surrounding his second half, his overall season and overall talent point to a player who will have prolonged success in the major leagues. If he can figure out what went wrong towards the end of last season, the sky is the limit for the Cubs and Crow-Armstrong.