There have been an unusual amount of extensions agreed to early on in the 2025 campaign. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signing a $500 million deal to remain in Toronto for the remainder of his career wasn’t too shocking, but watching young budding stars like Boston Red Sox infielder Kristian Campbell and San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill ink deals with their respective clubs was interesting, to say the least.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong had an opportunity to make the extension list even longer recently, but as Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported, the two sides failed to work out an agreement. Feinsand notes that the extension would’ve been worth roughly $75 million. The amount of years the deal would’ve covered is unknown as of this writing.
The Cubs recently approached Pete Crow-Armstrong about an extension worth roughly $75 million, per sources, but the two sides did not work out a deal.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) April 12, 2025
On one hand, it’s always fun to see a player bet on himself. A former top prospect and spectacular defender in center field, Crow-Armstrong certainly has the potential to earn at least double that offer if he lives up to his star potential. On the other hand, though, $75 million is a lot to turn down, and this could be a decision that Crow-Armstrong regrets down the road.
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Pete Crow-Armstrong might end up regretting passing on Cubs extension offer
Crow-Armstrong rejected this offer with eyes on securing an even bigger offer down the line. If he meets his potential, he will not only exceed this offer, but he will shatter it. His potential is that high. With that being said, he’s taking a risk by turning the Cubs down.
Crow-Armstrong is an unbelievable defender. He might be the best defensive center fielder in the game which is incredibly valuable by itself. He also has tremendous speed, as evidenced by his 27 stolen bases last season and six steals so far in 2024. He has a chance to impact any given game in the field and on the base paths. His ability to do so at the plate, however, is up in the air.
Even as a prospect, Crow-Armstrong was known as a defense-first outfielder with blazing speed and a somewhat limited offensive ceiling. For much of his MLB career, that has been the case. In his first full season in 2024, Crow-Armstrong slashed .237/.286/.384 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI in 123 games played. Now, he did have a much-improved .736 OPS in the second half, and was worth 2.3 bWAR thanks to his elite glove, but it’s hard to get too excited about a .670 OPS.
Cubs fans hoped that Crow-Armstrong, a 23-year-old with an incredibly high motor, would continue to flash improvements following his second-half surge, but that has not been the case thus far. Crow-Armstrong is slashing .200/.273/.250 and has yet to go deep in his 16 games played. He’s accumulated 0.3 bWAR so far thanks to his defense, but his bat continues to underwhelm. He has a putrid 54 OPS+ thus far.
It’s early, but Crow-Armstrong is still not showing signs of any offensive improvement. He’ll still be a usable player, but as long as he remains a below-average hitter, is he really worth $75 million? By offering such an extension, the Cubs would hope he’ll progress offensively. Crow-Armstrong might do that, but he hasn’t yet, making his decision to turn Chicago down one that can easily backfire.
