The Cubs and star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong are in agreement on a six-year extension covering the 2027-33 seasons. It’s a $115MM guarantee for the CAA client, who can earn another $18MM via escalators. Crow-Armstrong had been under club control through 2030, so the deal — which doesn’t include any option years — buys out two free agent seasons.
Crow-Arsmtrong will collect a $5MM signing bonus. He’ll make a pre-arbitration salary this year before his salary jumps to $10MM annually between 2027-29. He’ll make $20MM in 2030 and $30MM per season in 2031-32. There’s a $1MM assignment bonus any time he’s traded throughout the contract, while his salaries in the final two seasons can climb depending on his placements in MVP voting between 2027-30.
Chicago tried to get a deal done with Crow-Armstrong during last year’s Spring Training. He was coming off a modest .237/.286/.384 season as a rookie, but the Cubs clearly felt he had another gear offensively. There has never been any doubt regarding his elite center field defense.
The sides couldn’t reach an agreement last spring. Crow-Armstrong’s asking price has certainly jumped 12 months later. He took a huge step forward from a power perspective, connecting on 31 home runs with 72 extra-base hits. He stole 35 bases, making him one of seven players to go 30-30 last year. He also led all outfielders with 24 Outs Above Average, while tying for second among center fielders (behind Ceddanne Rafaela) with 15 Defensive Runs Saved.
For a good portion of the season, Crow-Armstrong looked to be on track for a top three MVP finish. He was on an offensive tear for four months, hitting 27 homers with a .272/.309/.559 slash line through the end of July. His bat went ice cold to close the season, as he stumbled to a .188/.237/.295 mark over his final 200 trips to the plate.
The tough finish “dropped” Crow-Armstrong to ninth in NL MVP balloting. He deservedly earned his first All-Star selection and Gold Glove. He finished the season as a slightly above-average hitter, posting a .247/.287/.481 line across 647 plate appearances. Crow-Armstrong had a tough postseason (batting .185 without an extra-base hit in eight games) but was much better this spring while playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Crow-Armstrong’s late-season slump highlights the remaining concerns about his offensive consistency. He’s one of the most aggressive hitters in the league, swinging at nearly 60% of the pitches he has seen in his career. No other player who took 500 plate appearances last year swung more often.
Only Yainer Diaz and Michael Harris II more frequently chased pitches outside the strike zone. As a result, Crow-Armstrong has walked in fewer than 5% of his career plate appearances. He has gone down on strikes at a slightly elevated 24% rate. The approach leaves him with a low floor from an OBP perspective that’ll probably continue leading to a streaky offensive game.
At the same time, Crow-Armstrong clearly has a ceiling that few players in the league can match. The glove isn’t going to slump. He’s an elite runner and athlete with a fantastic arm and an excellent first step. The defense alone would give him a high floor even if he had minimal offensive upside. Crow-Armstrong can carry a lineup when he’s going well, as he showed for the first two-thirds of last season. He has above-average bat speed and plus power, particularly against right-handed pitching.
The lefty hitter posted a .271/.315/.523 mark with 24 homers when holding the platoon advantage. He struggled against southpaws, batting .188/.217/.376 with seven longballs in 188 plate appearances. The defense is so good that the Cubs won’t use him as a platoon player, but they’re surely hoping to see more competitive at-bats against lefties.
It’s possible that’ll come with experience. Crow-Armstrong is entering his age-24 season. It’s unlikely he’s ever going to become a patient hitter, but it’s fair to project him some improvements to his selectivity as he gets into his mid 20s. If he plateaus at 10-15 percent better than average offensively, he’d remain one of the better all-around players in the National League. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference each valued him around 5-6 wins above replacement a year ago. Crow-Armstrong’s all-out playing style has also made him a favorite of the fanbase and arguably the face of the franchise.
Crow-Armstrong is two days shy of having two full years of service time. He would have qualified for early arbitration as a Super Two player next offseason. He was five years away from reaching free agency, when he would have hit the market at age 29.
Jackson Merrill’s nine-year, $135MM extension with the Padres last spring is the top guarantee for a player with between one and two years of MLB service. Merrill and Crow-Armstrong have similar profiles as star center fielders with power but some on-base concerns. Crow-Armstrong is the superior defender, though Merrill is a very good outfielder in his own right. The latter probably has a slightly higher offensive floor because he makes more contact.
Merrill was a year younger than Crow-Armstrong is now. He was not on track to qualify as a Super Two player, but he was trending towards hitting free agency by age 27. Merrill probably left some money on the table, though his deal is the most obvious comparison point for talks between the Cubs and Crow-Armstrong’s camp. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Cubs’ 2025 offer was for $66MM.
Chicago’s long-term outfield is wide open. Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ are on track to hit free agency next offseason. Nico Hoerner, Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon are also slated to hit the market, and the Cubs surely aren’t bringing everybody back. They traded Owen Caissie to the Marlins as a centerpiece of the Edward Cabrera return. Prospect Kevin Alcántara has power but concerning strikeout rates. Crow-Armstrong would have been in center field either way, but there could be a fair amount of turnover around him in the Wrigley outfield a year from now.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the agreement and the six-year, $115MM guarantee. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported the $18MM in escalators. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com had the escalator specifics and salary breakdown.
Image courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images.
Interesting. I wonder if they’re paying him based on his unrepeatable first half or his true to form second half?
his defensive talent and consistency makes up for his offensive inconsistencies, he could hit .230 with 20 bombs and still be the cubs most valuable player
No disagreement there.
That’s not even remotely close to accurate. Finding athletes that can catch is not that difficult. The hard part is hitting.
This. There are elite defensive CFers around who can’t even get starting gigs.
k I’ll bite name some ” elite defensive CFers” that can’t get starting gigs..
The Jank?
Siani
bryce teodosio
Siri
Jackie Bradley Jr wound up in that boat.
when did JBJ go 30/30?
thats not even remotely accurate, have you watched baseball the last 10 years? Defense is trash
Never said he did. I responded to players who had great defense and couldn’t hit a lick per seamaholic.
He was forced out at 32 despite defensive ratings
The numbers stated were .230 with 20 homers. I JBJ could do that every year he’d still be getting a starting job.
Jankowski, Siani, Siri, and Teodosio were bad hitters (Siri had one good year). PCA is a great defender who has shown the ability to be a good offensive contributor. Apples and oranges.
Tyrone Taylor is a great CF, can’t hit.
Johan Rojas. Can’t hit a lick.
That’s not a good thing lol.
So, like Jason Heyward?
I said this in another place. So, like no…
They’re also at different ages, one contract was two years longer and at an age of 2 years older, heyward was never really a base stealer and never came within 8 home runs of 30 in a single season. Cubs save 2 years and over $75MM. It’s just not even comparable.
Age during contracts – 24-30 and 26-34
So another Dansby?
Well if it’s on the first half we should suspect a contract in the $65M a year range. I’m guessing it’s going to be short of that.
Much shorter
Shot in the dark would be 16-17 a year low end—high end low 20s. 7/150.. 8/170 (incentives and escalators written in)
I’d have to think it’s higher than your high end guess
It’s been reported that it’s worth more than twice the 66 million offered to him last year.
Tough take on the kid. But also fair to wonder which is who you’re gonna get for 7-8 years
The kid’s gonna be good, but he seems a bit cocky at times and he needs to lose the 90’s-esque hoop earring in only his left ear.
That second half was an atrocity for both PCA and Tucker. I think Bregman can help him learn how to be a pro as opposed to the nonchalance that Tucker exuded.
That hoop earring is the reason he fell apart. No one in the history of Chicago sports has ever been great and won wearing something so ridiculous
😆
Literally the dumbest comment on this already ridiculous comment section.
Michael Jordan wore hoop earrings. I think I saw them on 80’s quarterback Jim McMahon too. Are you going to tell Jim he can’t wear them ?
Yes the cheater will really take this kid under his wing to show him how it’s done 🙄
“Nonchalance” is a polite way of putting it. Tucker seemed almost hostile toward his teammates, toward being a Cub, toward the fans, toward having to play outdoors, toward being a baseball player. The phrase “cancer in the clubhouse” is a cliche, but Tucker might have really been one.
I think you missed the sarcasm
That is 100% not true. Bad take Alan. He was quiet but polite and his teammates n liked him.
vanswanson…
The haters can’s stand it when there’s anything positive about the Cubs on here. And if Armstrong proves to be a perennial all-star, they’ll still whine. And I’ll love every second of it.
I dont think PCA is worried about your fashion advice. Have you seen his previous hairdos?! He’s very young and extremely talented, and about to be quite rich. Let him enjoy, gramps. Most elite athletes are cocky, some just hide it so crotchety old losers don’t trash talk them. Guarantee you buy your clothes at a place that also sells car batteries.
Coop—it was Alan who just yesterday told posters to stop talking about Tucker—he’s no longer on the team.
Let’s let him get back to his Seiya and Assad agenda for this year.
“unrepeatable first half”
It wasn’t even his first half. He was hot for about a month from mid-April to mid-May. He slashed .197/.264/.258/.521 in the first 17 games of the season and .226/.271/.424/.695 in 106 games after that.
But still, I don’t think you can say anything about PCA is “true to form”. He’s still only 24 and hasn’t even entered his prime. He had around a .900 OPS in the minors. And even though he struggled mightily for most of the season, he still improved his OPS from 2024 to 2025 by nearly 100 points (.670 to .768). With his defense, even a .750 OPS makes him a very valuable player.
Realistically, I think he slots somewhere in the middle. Keep in mind he’s just getting started. Hitters can develop, both in swing decisions and pitch recognition.
Doesn’t really matter. Excellent move Cubies! Smartest thing they’ve done!
Definitely smarter than the Kyle Tucker trade.
Unrepeatable? I bet MLB teams are beating your door down asking for advice.
ahh yes, one full year in the majors and you already have his entire future paved! I am personally shocked that GM’s don’t contact all the experts on this page for what they should do.
I just roll my eyes and laugh at some of you. Maybe he…is somewhere in the middle?
But if you know exactly how his career will pan out, please contact me and let me know the winner of the Derby, Belmont, etc.
“In the middle”
That would mean he didn’t repeat it.
This is not hard.
$19 million a year is an excellent signing. I watched the vast majority of his ABs last year and there is no easy way to pitch him. Sure he strikes out way too much and would do well to curb his aggression, but he hits monster shots seemingly effortlessly. And if a pitch is trackable or hangs even a little, it doesn’t matter whether it’s way inside or barely off the dirt. Once he can track it, he can hit it out.
The speed is incredible. Just making contact will lead to him scoring a ton once he’s on. I also watched a crap ton of his post game interviews. Very calm and very cerebral. The opposite of his hair on fire persona between the lines. He’s really smart and I believe we’ll see steady growth.
He puts pressure on defenses with his speed and forces a lot of errors and mental mistakes by opposing fielders. This is obviously a small part of his game and difficult to quantify, but you can see it from watching him. He’s high risk, high reward in a lot of ways, but he has the potential to be consistently dynamic in a lot of ways too.
Why is second half his true to form?
I bet he ends up 65-75% of that first half in general if I gambled
Obviously hyped but just curious about the $$$. Going to be more than they offered last year but how much more? Nevertheless stoked to see PCA locked up
Smart
Maybe, maybe not. Defense obviously elite, but the offense is a huge question mark.
At 24 was Pete Rose’s or Rickey Henderson’s game honed to perfection? I’m not saying PCA is gonna end up in the same ZIP code as them, but I’ve seen enough to know he’s capable. He’s not a one trick pony
The obsession with underlying metrics clouds perspective: the kid is 23, one of the best defensive players in baseball, and hit 30/30! Jiminy Christmas not everybody who gets locked up is going to be Miguel Cabrera. I have this same conversation about Julio all the time.
Might be poor examples..in his age 24 season Rickey hit 292 and led mlb with 108 sb. Same age pete hit 310 and led mlb in hits with 204 hits.
Are cherries in season? Cause you sure are pickin’ em.
Rondon I wasn’t the one who compared pete rose and Rickey Henderson to pca at the same age..stats tell the facts all i did was read a couple baseball cards which i guess you didnt..so you are welcome
He was asking if either of those players at the same age (23), were fully refined yet. We’ll see how PCA does when he’s 24. You’re welcome.
Ok fine ..let’s go back to the stats . At age 23 Rickey led the league in steals and walks 130/116. ..arguably a better year than age 24..and pete was injured at age 23 so maybe not a fair comp but but stepping back to age 22 did win roy. Btw pca turns 24 tomorrow so guess we will see how he stacks up vs two of the best to ever play…thank you
you miss the point. Most players are not fully refined/developed by that age. Let’s give the kid a few full years before we determine his true worth. What ya say?
This obviously means a LOT to you.. So I bow before your dedication to being right! You’re welcome.
Anyone wanting to compare PCA (or just about any player) to two HOF-quality players is setting themselves and that player up for disappointment.
he went 30/30 in his second year. The only question mark is walk rate. A 5War player at 19million a year is a very smart deal to make on a 3rd year 24 year old
So FA in 2031. So at least 5 year deal. Would a 8/100 work?
I think it’s gonna cost more than that – add another 50MM?
8/$150 would be amazing to lock him up for. Cubs will be paying a premium price for the first 3 or 4 years, but the back half of the contract will be a steal.
Yea I was going off Acunas 2019 contract as a floor. Was looking at Roman Anthony until the article mentioned Merrill. 9/135 but two years younger. 8/125 or 10/180? Maybe somewhere around there?
Bob Nightengale now reporting it is at least double last year’s $66 million offer. So at minimum, it is 6 years $132 million. Still a good deal for players and team,though I’d like to have him through his age 32 season with 8 years. Just take all the uncertainty out of his free agency market. This will leave more for Nico’s wxtension.
Way more than that
I’d guess a little less. 6 yrs/$90m.
Pretty sure that’s less than what they offered him last year…it’s going to be higher than that
I’d argue you were the closest. Add some inflation money and you’re bang on.
More likely 6/115
Im going with 220-240MM
I agree. Was thinking 250.
8/250? Just asking for clarity. Just seems high.
8/250m would be paying something like 3/180m for the free agent years. Very high.
I was thinking they were going to lock him up for many more years than two additional years. Like say 10-12 into this thirties. This is more in line with how the CUBS operate, but am a bit surprised PCA bit.
Was about to say… Feels like a Cubs move. How much was he projecting to earn in arb years?
Feels weird to extend him for less than 7…
Such a CUBS move. Get him for his entire 20s then cut him loose. I thought he was going to be an exception. I think I am most surprised he was open to it.
I’m not a big PCA fan. Dude was great, and then straight up awful. Looks like a streaky hitter that keeps the glove intact at all times. I hope this won’t be an overpay for the Cubs fans sake
He’s a kid. His defense is outstanding, has great speed and the talent is certainly there. Playing the way he did and then getting the attention is going to play mind games. Hopefully someone will mentor his approach and try not to get overwhelmed (or cocky) and play it day by day. He’s certainly got the ability to be great.
PCA seems to be pretty hard on himself and well grounded. At this point, he doesn’t seem to me, as someone who’s that likely to get a big head. His parents did a good job raising him, to be aware of his surroundings – especially considering growing up as a son of someone who was already in the limelight.
Only my opinion, I have no inside info. I believe PCA is part of the reason the Cubs signed Bregman. His influence and tutoring cannot be over stated. Roman Anthony said after the WBC that he missed Bregman badly in Boston already.
Yeah, I’ve thought that way too. Pete seemed to follow Belli around also, whereas I didn’t think Tucker was much of an influence on him. Bregman should fit in well.
Great news
Elite power & speed, 1 of the best gloves in mlb. Only 23 y old . Slam sunk no brainer to extend him
It’s great as a Mets fan to see how the kids shine elsewhere. For Baez. F’ing Baez.
Silver lining is the Mets aren’t paying $140 million for like 5 war
On the one hand he is a really risky bat with the high chase and fringy contact rate, on the other hand he only needs like a 90 wRC+ or so to be a 3 war player.
Also there is upside for more with his power he could easily have an 8 war season with a bit of batted ball luck.
On the other hand a 40% chase rate and 16% swinging strike rate could also create extended stretches of him being way worse than a 90 wrc+ do a degree where he has like a 65 wrc+ and is unplayable.
He still is very young and could improve his plate discipline (say even just a modest improvement to a mid 30s chase and like 12-13% swinging strikes) and then he could really take off but he also could be baez 2.0 where he has 5 war seasons but also 280 obp half seasons.
The Dodgers traded Yordan Alvarez to Houston for Josh Fields
@ignorant: Man i just busted out laughing at your name. Hysterical. Mama-sita asking from the next room..”what’s so funny?”
@ignorant
Dodgers traded yordan before he ever played a single game for them or anyone. Nobody had any idea he’d develop into an all star especially not before a single professional at bat.
PCA was a high profile draft prospect, taken in the 1st round, and who hit .417 for the mets. They knew what they had and foolishly gave it away.
Mets can get him back later if he follows the Baez performance arc. Pretty similar players in a lot of ways.
They’re still kicking themselves in the butt over that one
The person who made the trade lost no sleep over it.
The person who made the trade lost no sleep over it.
====================
The dude lost his job and I don’t know if he even works in BB any more. You don’t think he lost any sleep over that decision?
He was a temp, taking g the Mets job until someone else got hired. They even had an article by said human about it.
He was more upset that Baez wasn’t productive than losing PCA.
He was more upset that Baez wasn’t productive than losing PCA.
=================
He should be upset by both.
It’ll be same story with peralta & jett/sproat
Mets never learn
If you follow Zack Scott’s explanation, the deal made sense and worked as intended – Mets were in contention and Baez was outstanding. Scott also was not as high on PCR as Mets’ scouts and saw him more as a 4th OFer due to his offensive limitations — which is exactly what PCR became outside of one very hot streak .
Don’t forget the one year of an OK reliever that you also got. It’s deadline trades like this one that has inflated sellers’ asks at the trade deadline. Every GM wants to grab the next face-of-the-franchise for a reliever or role player on an expiring contract and modest hot streak. (Not saying Baez was either, but if PCA lives up to the hype this could still be the biggest steal since Tatis Jr for Shields.)
Old Man: PCA was in a sling after major shoulder surgery when he was traded away.
I’d argue Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano was even worse than the PCA/Baez trade.
On the flip side:
-Dealing Jared Kelenic for Edwin Diaz was a steal… and nobody thought so at the time.
-They bamboozled Alex Anthopolous into trading 6 years of Syndergaard and dArnaud for an old knuckleballer in RA Dickey.
-Sending Carlos Gomez to MIN for Johan Santana turned out pretty well.
-Trading two months of a declining Carlos Beltran for 6 years of Zack Wheeler was awesome for the Mets too…
Look, PCA had 2.5 incredible months… Then the league adjusted how they pitched to him and he has was unable to adjust in return. Maybe this year he makes those adjustments. It remains to be seen. In the meantime, his defense and speed give him a high floor and the deal he signed should be worth it.
Bottom Line: Every team makes trades they regret in hindsight.
It’s amazing to think that Baez could have a higher OBP than anyone in baseball. PCA is one of those few players. Bad trade by the Mets but PCA is no sure thing.
good investment because his floor is so high. He can never finish below 3 WAR.
but the ceiling remains mysterious
But he has great hair
Michael Harris just finished below 2 WAR
Luckily he isn’t Michael Harris
Similar profile, and not so long ago people wouldnt have believed Harris could put up a line like he just did
Guys with terrible plate discipline are volatile. Id bet hell be a star, but we dont have to look too far to see how that type of player can put up a sub 3 WAR season.
Harris is crazy talented athlete. It’s a good comp.
Inferior defender, less power and speed version, sure. Harris definitely didn’t have the upside PCA has at 23 years old. Wouldn’t say it’s the best comp
PCA could be like a Daulton Varsho / Kevin Kiermeier type player at least ???
I think he’ll be great, and the speed/defense should give him a solid floor, but to me its crazy to say anyone “cant put up a sub 3 WAR season”
Fair comp imo
Harris isn’t the best defensive CF in baseball lol
Never said he was
They said the same thing about Heyward…
And Heyward even had good plate discipline to boot. There really is no sure thing in baseball.
Ever since Heyward took that fastball to the face he really never was the same hitter afterwards.
Heyward give good meeting
….and it’s still haunting you ten years later.
Same with Kris Bryant.
They’re also at different ages, one contract was two years longer and at an age of 2 years older, heyward was never really a base stealer and never came within 8 home runs of 30 in a single season. Cubs save 2 years and over $75MM. It’s just not even comparable.
Age during contracts – 24-30 and 26-34
Feel like people are losing the thread, I didnt bring up Harris to say PCA sucks or its a bad contract, I brought him up in response to “he can never put up less than 3WAR”
Now extend Nico and then Seiya
Nico definitely. I’m 50/50 on Seiya. Dude is made of glass.
Needs to stop head first sliding
They should ban the head first slide into 1B. Or out a 2nd bag behind first like softball leagues do. I don’t want this tbh but I heard it being discussed on a podcast last year. I’m not totally against it but it would just be easier to ban the head first slide into 1B imo
The safety base is coming….already used at the highest college levels. It will get to the majors eventually.
Head first sliding into first doesn’t make sense actually.
Exactly because you lose 3 or 4 steps and a lot of momentum. So unless it’s Michael Johnson combined with Usain Bolt and Carl Lewis head first slide into 1B is a terrible choice a player can make.
I like the idea. It has the benefit clearing a throwing path from the catcher to the 1b on the dribblers.
Unless the throw pulls the 1B off the bag.
His D is worth a decent sized extension but I think his bat is closer to the end of 2025 than the beginning. Just everything he squared up was leaving the yard for a while there.
17 years/$527M to $646M or something like that, I’d imagine.
Even if it’s half of that. He’s gonna get paid two days before he turns 24.
As a Brewer fan I hope you are right
As a Cub fan I love it bothers you
Not as bad as that PCA’s contract will bother you in a year or two. As a Brewer fan, his contract compared to Chourio’s is laughable.
Chourio isn’t a head case like PCA is. No one cub fan wants to admit it, but that is PCA’s kryptonite. Him being a complete dush, has, does and will always hurt his team.
I’m late to notice his huge offensive jump from 2024 to 2025. I thought he was a glove first, light hitter before looking closer at his stats from 2025.
He’s going to be the next Julio Rodriguez or Jose Siri no in-betweens.
Diaz, Harris, PCA more homeruns than walks (Diaz had 20/20). Makes sense they were the top three of expanding the strike zone. All three have many at bats that are painful to watch.
It’s especially painful considering his mere presence on first is a weapon.
If he has a career like JBJ had with the Red Sox, any extension now will be a bargain. But holy cow, he needs to learn to take a pitch occasionally.
I would find a new team if he were the face of franchise I followed lol
You must be really fun
Stay classy, Philly
Nice to have a young star in Chicago that wants to be here. BorAss would have never allowed this. In fact he didn’t with Kris Bryant (thankfully as it turns out)
In fact he didn’t with Kris Bryant (thankfully as it turns out)
================
Imagine a world where you had Bryant, Baez & Rizzo instead Bregman, Swanson & Busch.
The Cubs traded Kris Bryant, he didn’t leave via free agency.
I understand it from the Cubs point of view. If he has anything again this year like the first half he had last year the price would skyrocket but man would I be nervous rewarding him for that half season. Especially when the awful 2nd half is closer to his previous than not.
Agreed. It’s hard to reward a Jekyll and Hyde year. Especially for a clear platoon candidate. Defense is great and all but his line against lefties is atrocious
He’s going to have to hit a lot more than 30 homers to justify that BA and all of those strikeouts.
8 and 150
Cubs acquiring PCA from the Mets for Javy Baez and Trevor Williams is Brock for Broglio, but this time with the Cubs winning big time.
Brock was never going to be particularly good with the Cubs, as long as they considered him more of a Billy Williams, and less like the Tim Raines type he became once heading to St. Louis.
There was more to the Brock-for-Broglio fiasco than baseball misjudgement. Cubs GM John Holland didn’t like “outspoken” players, perhaps especially if they were black. He saw Brock, who was mildly political, as undesirable in that context, and Cards GM Bing Devine took advantage.
Phil Wrigley was not a racist. Some of the people around him were.
Waste of money but good for him.
A day off now and then wouldn’t hurt.
Why Alcantara is a thing.
He’s pretty good with a lot of potential. Makes sense to lock him up
I like it. As a Rafael fan, I see a lot of similarities. A GG/Platinum type with decent, present, hitting skills, and room to get better.
The market inefficiency now is bat to ball skills.
I miss the days when a .309 OBP was considered bad.
Still is, but like most stats there is context or conditionals. Like when you have 27 home runs and you’re one of your team’s stop run producers.
The truth is the moneyball model of OBP is taking more and more of a back seat to power hitting. The fact that he can do that and be a GG lets us all ignore his OBP.
I don’t ignore OBP.
Moneyball was never specifically about OBP. It was about finding market inefficiencies. OBP happened to be one at the time it was popularized
The Mets missed the boat on PCA especially when they got Baez for him. Hope they didn’t do same with Gilbert
He is a superstar. Future MVP. Great move.
One side of mouth: “Ricketts are stingy cheap ********” Other side of mouth: “Overpay, waste of money, bad K.”
RAFAELA HAD 21 DRS not 15…FIX IT‼️…
The article says PCA was second behind Rafaela with 15, not that Rafaela had 15.
Extending Juan Lagares, interesting move
Very happy with this move. While PCA’s second half last year was abysmal, we can’t overlook that his trajectory overall from year to year has been one of improvement. The hope has to be- now that the team has him locked in for a bunch of years- that the coaching staff can continue shepherding PCA to adopt better plate habits and continue the improvement.
It amuses me to no end how PCA was traded for Javy Baez- two players who have so much in common with stellar defense, excellent speed, and over-aggressive batting approaches. Hopefully the current Cubs coaching staff will have better success developing PCA than Maddon’s staff did with Baez.
But this was a good move by the Cubs.
Maddon’s staff with Baez??? What!??
In his full seasons under Maddon he hit 273, 273, 290, and 281, averaged 25 homers, made two all star games and won a silver slugger and finished 2nd in an MVP vote.
I guess he could have turned into Mike Trout.
I probably could’ve phrased my comment a little better. And to emphasize, I was sad to see Baez go. People like to rag on him (not disimilarly than they do PCA now), but Baez had some bad plate habits, and they got worse as the seasons progressed. There was a point where all a pitcher had to do was throw fastballs up in Baez’s eyes and he would take wild swings at those unhittable pitches. That’s a pattern that didn’t end when he left the Cubs. Baez was an enormous talent, but I think it’s a fair question to ask if he would’ve had more success had he been with a coaching staff better able to coach up Baez in the way he needed. And that’s not me throwing shade at Maddon and his staff. Maddon will always be my favorite Cubs coach of all time for guiding them to a World Series victory. But it’s not a wild hypothesis on my part. We see this all the time in all kinds of sports- some coaches are better at bringing out the best of players. Maddon, to me- and this is a feeling from my gut & heart and not necessarily an analytical one… plus I’m looking in from the outside, so who the hell knows if my opinion is based on reality- but Maddon’s strength was guiding a team, whereas maybe not so much as developing specific players. It just seemed like a lot of the Cubs 2015-2019 rookies kind of stalled out with the Cubs. I would hate to see PCA not reach his full potential, too.
You know more about his Cubs years than I do, but as a Tigers fan, I know he’s replaced his addiction to fastballs “in his eyes” with sliders down and away. While he has had periods where he seemed to show better swing decisions, the Tigers hitting coaches have been able to help many players, but you still see Javy flailing away at pitches in the opposite batter’s box. I hope he does straighten it out but there’s only so much you can do when a player’s bad habits are part of his nature.
One of my favorite things about PCA is that he said said multiple times that he honed his defense after Javy Baez. Which make them being traded for each other so awesome. Really a feel good moment when they both made the ASG as the starting CFers for each League
Cubs overpaying for a platoon player. Thats good news !
It’s an underpay and he’s not a platoon player 😂
Username checks out. Go away troll
This guy had a 40 game hot streak, not really sure why you’d give him a 9 figure deal when you already control him 5 more years. I get that teams are terrified of losing good players but the arb process is in place to help the team cut bait if a guy doesn’t justify his contract each year.
I also think the motivation factor is way undervalued, once you give a 24 year old a 9 figure deal and pay him into his 30’s he isn’t going to work as hard as a guy who’s contract value next year is tied to his performance. Some people don’t like hearing that, but it is the truth.
Buying out two Rafaela FA years at 6.25 AAV is going to look very astute imo
Decent deal if hes all that and a bag of chips. Not if hes a dip no chip
So any word on if the deal includes a NTC or a partial NTC? I’m guessing it would’ve been reported but I’m just curious
This is a win win win!! Way to go Cubs! Good on you PCA!! It’s a great day to be a Cubs fan!!
I’m sure giving a 23 year old a 9 figure salary is going to work out LOL
If he can OPS+ 105 or so, with his speed and instincts in CF, it will be a good deal for the Cubs. But that sub .290 OBP and the fact that he swung at higher percentage of pitches then any other starting player has him walking a fine line with the wood. A wee bit more discipline at the dish and he’s a regular 4 WAR player and that’s a really, really good player.
This will be really interesting year to see what adjustments he’s made and of course what adjustments opposing hurlers have also made. However guys like JBJ, Paul Blair, Devon White, Gary Pettis, etc. made a career out of being great in CF with not a lot of contribution with the wood.
.247/.287 holy cow that’s where we are?
Ok, looks like you left off one important number in his slash like there.
What’s his SLG and OPS?
I didnt leave anything off. A .287 OBP doesnt portend well for the slugging…it forces a lot more luck. Sub .300 is nearly unrosterable…which he kind of seemed to be the back half of the season. Im not saying that keeps up. But THESE two numbers are warning lights about growth issues needing addressed.
His numbers arent ANYTHING yet. To me it doesn’t look like we might know WHO he is. He’s incredibly speedy with some pop but theres really not a track record and the first half actually caught people by surprise.
His SLG is 0.481. His OPS is 0.768. Relative to the rest of the league, his OPS is 18% higher than average, OPS+ of 118.
So sure his OBP is a little low because he doesn’t walk, but the kid rakes.
Joemo…he has raked but its heavy on a half season on what needs to be more stats. Im not DOWN on him. I love his skills. But he’s not a complete known on how he’ll actually hit. He has a lot of noise in the readings
Estuery Ruiz is a better player if he can get his head and heart together. Ruiz wont hit 30HRs but he is a good contact hitter, has 15+ HR power, elite speed and can play defense despite the entirety of baseball believing otherwise.
Id trade for Ruiz and pay him on a team friendly deal, 4/10M – a Jon Singleton, with a pair of team options at 15M. Commit to him as my CF and let him start everyday.
Lol. I’m no PCA fan but that’s hilarious
I watched Ruiz play with Oakland on the routine and was a fan. And watched him regress so bad the pitchers were literally knocking the bat out of his hands. He used to have power potential and contact skills. But for me he’s looking more like a Jarrod Dyson probably…but he’s very literally the worst major league batter ive seen at times. He stole a ton of bases his first season…and hasnt shown he can hit in the MLB
.253 in his MLB stint in Oakland. His ’25 numbers in PCL were really good.
He doesnt have a noticeable LHP/RHP split, hit .330 against LHP and .280 against RHP in ’25 (AAA), and has shown a good eye at the plate over his entire career.
Ruiz situation with regression is tied to his off-the-field issues. First with A’s ownership, then stuck in the Dodgers logjam — note that he played well with the Dodgers in AAA but didnt get much run in MLB.
This off season he had a real opportunity for an everyday job in Miami. When Bendix traded for Caissie, Ruiz felt like it was a direct shot at him, took it personal, and in some way packed it in.
I also feel like the Marlins made a bad trade so I understand his response to the difficulties, he gets what is seemingly a good break and has it taken away before he has a chance to lace up his cleats.
Its a tough system, MLB, there arent many spots. Ruiz has one more option year, is getting older, speed declines first and that is his best asset but I believe if he works hard this season that Ruiz still has potential to be a good CF/LF, a good hitter (.750 OPS) at the top of the lineup, and a guy who can steal 70 bases a season.
Well done Cubs
6.0 war last season. 23 years old. Complaints from fans? Even if he produces 3 war a season the contract is still 100x better than the Bryant deal the Rockies handed out.
Less than a 20 mil aav! I love this deal for both sides but it could be a real steal for the cubs
All of the comments questioning the wisdom and dollar outlay of this extension are probably written by the same folk who have been begging ownership and the FO to act like a big market team for the past umpteen seasons. SMH.
Happy Birthday Pete!
Did you get him a birthday gift? I heard he’s been begging for a new earring.
Good thing the mets got Javy Baez for that half a season, totally worth it.
Who was the loser who gave him away ?
As a Brewers fan, I approve this deal. In all seriousness it feels like a fair deal. PCA balled out early last season, I think it was a tad on the hot side rather than a “who he is” side” but he’s mega talented, fantastic on defense, will always have the speed tool and can clearly hit for power. If he can unlock patience at the plate or simply being more selective at what he swings at he will be a bargain at this price.
Issue with PCA on the downside is his on baseball ability was atrocious and will undermine his speed and power possibly. He’s a bigger gamble than what people want to claim as a player. But that $ deal is solid. I dont think we know who he is. But that .285obp is gawdawful
Dock: Yeah, I agree. He was so bad it was unwatchable in the second half.
A six year extension covering the 2027-2033 seasons… that’s seven seasons.
1 good year out of 2 gets you a 6 year deal.
2.3 bWAR in 372 ABs qualifies as good.
Thats small sample size. I like him but hes a risk
PCA is a nice player but his low obp will be his Achilles heal. He was smart to take the deal before the shine wears off. He will be a stat guy but lower WAR then would be expected.
This is actually a steal for the cubs. Look at the like-age/timing extensions since 2000.
Definitely an overpay.
I would say the Cubs made a good decision with Crow-Armstrong. Being a follower of The Dodgers for 62 years now?? And having lived in Peoria, Illinois for my first 66 years; it always surprised me that the Cubs’ owners were unwilling to pump any money into the team. They always seemed to dabble a little into free agency, but not a lot. And even when they had bad teams; the fans showed up. Wrigley Field is a neighborhood stadium with rooftop fans just across the street from the outfield walls. The owners should play the cards and start building up the team. There is no reason Chicago shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath as Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, and a few others as being powerhouse MLB teams. Maybe Pete Crow-Armstrong is a step in that direction.