Latest news with #Crow-Armstrong
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong Predicted to Earn Nine-Figure Extension
Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong Predicted to Earn Nine-Figure Extension originally appeared on Athlon Sports. For all of the Kyle Tucker contract talk, there is another, emerging outfielder worthy of a big payday from the Chicago Cubs. Advertisement Pete Crow-Armstrong's breakout season has helped catapult the Cubs atop the National League Central and justified their win-now mode mentality. However, Crow-Armstrong, looking like the next big thing in Chicago, comes at an expensive price. Here is what Patrick Mooney of The Athletic told 'Foul Territory' about a Crow-Armstrong extension: 'Clearly, it's a nine-figure commitment.' After reportedly refusing a $75 million offer earlier this spring, Crow-Armstrong has propelled himself into previously unforeseen territory. He is under team control until 2030, and the Cubs do not necessarily need to rush into any long-term commitment just yet. Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Colorado Rockies during the fourth inning at Wrigley Banks-Imagn Images But, should this meteoric trajectory continue, Chicago should do everything in its power to secure Crow-Armstrong before he is too pricey. Advertisement The Cubs currently have only two players making more than $20 million annually (Dansby Swanson, $28 million, and Ian Happ, $21 million). Crow-Armstrong is more than worthy of joining that group. The 23-year-old is batting .275 with a .866 OPS, a 142 OPS+, 15 home runs, and 16 stolen bases on 19 attempts through 56 games. He also leads the National League in WAR (3.0) and has further established himself as a premier defensive center fielder. Perhaps this is too small a sample size for Chicago's liking, and it would be wise to see if Crow-Armstrong can maintain this pace over 162 games. But his metrics are impressive, and aside from a poor 9:58 BB:K ratio, there is no reason he can not earn hundreds of millions on his next deal. Even if the Cubs do not retain Tucker, they have a budding superstar to fall back on. Advertisement Related: Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong Breaks Silence on Unfortunate Timeline for Contract Extension Related: Cubs Called Trade Fit for 98-HR Slugger at Position of Uncertainty This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago baseball report: 1-2 punch fuels Cubs sweep — and Colson Montgomery ‘attacking' White Sox's plan
The Cubs took care of business as they needed to, completing a sweep of the nine-win Colorado Rockies on Wednesday to set up another series against the Reds after a dramatic three-game set last weekend in Cincinnati. While the offense was largely kept in check during a cool series against the Rockies at Wrigley Field, managing nine runs in the three games, the pitching staff did its part by holding the visitors to five runs. The White Sox return to division play next week at Rate Field with four games against the Detroit Tigers beginning Monday followed by three against the Kansas City Royals. The Sox are 2-14 against American League Central teams this season. Every Thursday during the regular season, Tribune baseball writers will provide an update on what happened — and what's ahead — for the Cubs and White keeps showing he can affect a game in a multitude of ways. After his steal of third base in the 11th inning Tuesday led to scoring the tying run in the Cubs' eventual walk-off victory, his solo home run in the sixth Wednesday to right field on a ball well below the zone proved to be the difference in a 2-1 win to sweep the hapless Rockies. It marked his 15th home run, tying him with Suzuki for the team lead. Crow-Armstrong became only the fifth player in MLB history with at least 15 home runs and 15-plus stolen bases in the first 56 games of a season, joining Alfonso Soriano (2003), Eric Davis (1987), Bobby Bonds (1975) and Ken Williams (1922). Photos: Chicago Cubs beat Colorado Rockies 2-1 to complete sweep at Wrigley FieldWhen told that tidbit, Crow-Armstrong joked how he was more focused on swiping a base Tuesday night after seeing teammate Kyle Tucker also reach 15 steals. 'Baseball's got a lot of funny stats,' Crow-Armstrong said. 'It's too early in the year for me to look at a stat like that and be really taken aback, I guess just because I said I was evaluating different things after (Tuesday's struggles).' Suzuki (51) and Crow-Armstrong (50) are the first pair of teammates in Cubs history to reach 50 RBIs in the club's first 56 games (since RBIs became an official stat in 1920), according to team historian Ed Hartig. The duo surpassed Hack Wilson and Charlie Grimm (1929), Hack Wilson and Kiki Cuyler (1930), and Ernie Banks and Ron Santo (1969), who all did it 62 team games. Suzuki extended his hitting streak to nine games with his RBI double in the first inning Wednesday. He's hitting .417 during that stretch. Crow-Armstrong said it has been a treat hitting fourth and getting to watch Suzuki's at-bats from the on-deck circle. 'I love Seiya, when Seiya is hot, it's some of the most beautiful baseballs being hit I think that you can find if you appreciate the game, if you appreciate Seiya back-spinning a baseball,' Crow-Armstrong said. 'He's just one of the better hitters I've ever seen.' Ryan Fuller didn't talk about reinventing Montgomery at the plate during the shortstop's two weeks in Arizona. 'But (it was) reaffirming who he is and what he does best,' the White Sox director of hitting explained Sunday. 'We saw some things movement-wise that just wasn't matching up with what he does when he's at his best. That was the performance staff, the biomechanists, everybody working together, to say when you are at your best, here's how you are moving, and every day we can inch closer to that.' Fuller worked with Montgomery on his swing when the 2021 first-round pick went to the club's Arizona complex. General manager Chris Getz announced the move April 29, and Montgomery was back in Triple-A Charlotte's lineup May 13. Montgomery entered Thursday with a .318 average (14-for-44), six doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs in the 11 games since returning the Knights. 'Leaving (Arizona) was great physically, mentally as well,' Fuller said. 'We got to talk about mindset, go out to dinner every night. So, the two of us, it was a great experience and to see him go out and have success and have fun and look like himself again, that's how you want to draw it up.' Fuller said the Sox went in with a plan — and Montgomery was able to attack it every day. 'Everybody was on the same page of here's the plan, let's go in and when we leave we are going to be in a better spot,' Fuller said. 'Kudos to him for taking it really well and then attacking the problem and going back and executing the plan really well.' Sign up for our White Sox Insider newsletterGetz said that Montgomery's 'routine has been very consistent in his work.' 'He's much more confident in himself,' Getz said. 'He's obviously gotten more hits, he's had better at-bats. There's still work to be done. We certainly want to cement the process with him. But he's done a nice job.' The Sox have lost eight of their nine road series. Their lone road-series win came May 13-15 when they took two of three from the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The Sox are 6-23 on the road. It's not an envious position for a pitcher to find himself. The automatic runner who opens an extra inning on second base immediately puts pressure on the pitcher. While rookie third baseman Matt Shaw became the hero in Tuesday's win against the Rockies with his walk-off single to right field, right-hander Chris Flexen helped set up one of his first big moments in a Cubs uniform. Flexen pitched the 10th and 11th innings and was prepared to head out for the next frame once Michael Busch's single to left field tied it. 'I do think that you need that in a season: You need some games that people remember, you need some moments to build that camaraderie, you need to have heroes that aren't the same heroes over and over,' Cubs President Jed Hoyer said before Tuesday's win. Manager Craig Counsell praised Flexen's two 'huge' innings and the other work he has put in that has given the Cubs chances to come back and win by covering innings. Flexen hasn't allowed an earned run in 12 1/3 innings (seven outings). 'As they've proven in the past, time after time, we're never out of the fight and give these guys a chance and get the crowd into it a little more,' Flexen said afterward. 'It's pretty electric.' Asked what the key to his success, Flexen wryly noted the Rockies had unfortunately scored their automatic runner in the top of the 11th. But looking at his season more broadly, the 30-year-old credited the organization's 'tremendous' pitching department that has helped him get on track with a lower arm slot that has put him in a more competitive position since he signed a minor-league deal and was part of big-league camp. 'Hats off to them, as soon as I came into camp, it was a big part of that, some changes that I had to make,' Flexen said. 'The mindset coming out of the bullpen is get outs as fast you can, and whatever situation you're in, try to hold it down right there and go out there and compete.' Josh Rojas felt like his work in the cages had been going 'really well' in the days leading up to this week's series against the New York Mets. 'I feel like I'm trending in the right direction,' he told the Tribune on Monday at Citi Field in New York. 'Now it's just a matter of getting the right pitches to hit, staying disciplined up there.' The next night, he doubled in his first at-bat. A right toe fracture delayed the start of the infielder's season. He's hitting .158 (9-for-57) in 20 games after going 1-for-5 with an RBI on Wednesday. 'I've been trying to get to the point where I can hit consistent line drives all over the field,' Rojas said. 'I've been rolling over pitches that I feel like I should be elevating and getting into the gap. Pitches out over the plate, I'm fouling off or popping up. 'I've been trying to get more consistent in finding a position to put my body in to hit line drives all over the field and adjust to offspeed and breaking stuff.' 'When you're in a building phase, it's hard emotionally, I've been there. You've got to make decisions towards the future. … The key when you're in this position is just like, OK, finding one player after another, and you build up a critical mass, and all of a sudden, you can be pretty good pretty quickly.' —
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Cubs Interested In Negotiating Extension In-Season For Breakout Star
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, the Chicago Cubs are interested in locking up their budding star, Pete Crow-Armstrong, with a long-term extension. With Crow-Armstrong's start to the season, the Cubs might be trying to get a deal done sooner rather than later because his value is skyrocketing. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 26: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs bats in a game against the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field on May 26, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 26: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs bats in a game against the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field on May 26, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Matt Dirksen/The Cubs centerfielder is in the midst of a breakout season at the plate, hitting .274 with 14 home runs entering Wednesday. The Cubs and Crow-Armstrong had initially traded proposals around the end of spring training, but nothing was agreed upon at the time. With Crow-Armstrong making a strong case for the National League MVP award in just his second season it is understandable that the Cubs are interested in getting a deal in place soon. Crow-Armstrong does not want to discuss contracts during the season and wants to be focused on the season. While the Cubs and Crow-Armstrong's agency, Creative Artists Agency, do not have any organizational rules barring contract discussions, the Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said the club is allowing Crow-Armstong to focus on baseball. Crow-Armstong is not only getting the job done at the plate, but the youngster is playing at a Gold Glove-level in defensively while possessing game wrecking speed on the bases. Crow-Armstrong was underwhelming last season but is breaking out in a big way and is well on his way to earn a big pay day. The Cubs have Crow-Armstrong under team control through 2030 so there is some leeway in their extension talks but it may serve the team well to reach an agreement before Crow-Armstrong is arbitration-eligible. More MLB: Cubs Sign Former Arch Rival Reliever To Help Struggling Bullpen
Chicago Tribune
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Pete Crow-Armstrong's 2 home runs — including his 1st grand slam — rally the Chicago Cubs to a wild 13-6 win
CINCINNATI — Pete Crow-Armstrong knows other teams are aware of his hitting tendency. He likes to swing the bat, and where the ball is — or isn't — in the zone doesn't tend to matter. The Chicago Cubs' 23-year-old center fielder has proved he's capable of making contact and doing damage in all types of situations. Even when he might be looking for a different pitch than the one thrown. Crow-Armstrong geared up for Cincinnati Reds right-hander Tony Santillan to attack him with a first-pitch fastball with the bases loaded in the seventh inning Friday as the Cubs trailed by two runs. Instead, the two-pitch-mix reliever went to his slider, one that hung down the middle of the plate. Crow-Armstrong didn't miss and pulled the pitch down the line, but it wasn't immediately clear if he stayed back on it enough to keep the ball fair. He stood in the batter's box and leaned back watching the ball's flight. When the ball dinged off the right-field foul pole, a euphoric Crow-Armstrong tossed his bat toward the Cubs dugout and pounded his chest before rounding the bases to celebrate the grand slam and second home run of the game. His slam, the first of his career, gave the Cubs a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Cubs went on to score 11 unanswered runs over the final three innings en route to a 13-6 win over the Reds. Seiya Suzuki (three-run home run) and Dansby Swanson (two-run blast) provided important insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings. 'There's a lot of times in baseball where sometimes you don't even know what pitch was thrown, just because stuff syncs up and that was that,' Crow-Armstrong said of the grand slam. 'I was just ready for heater. I don't think that the slider was really in my mind or anything like that. It was just up enough. 'This is a sport where you should appreciate those moments, and we've had a lot of those this year, so it's been nice to be able to cherish those.' The grand-slam ball had a kiss-the-stars trajectory as it skied toward the foul pole, its 43-degree launch angle making it just the eighth to go at least that high for a Cubs home run in the Statcast era (since 2015). Off the bat, the Cubs experienced varying anticipation whether the ball would stay inside the foul pole. Crow-Armstrong thought it was heading foul, noting, 'I'm glad we didn't have any Wrigley wind.' 'I actually thought it was way fair,' manager Craig Counsell said. 'So when it kept curving I was getting a little nervous.' Added Swanson: 'I was shocked it stayed fair. That's what happens when you've got a good swing, the bat stays in the zone for a long time and obviously gives you a lot of margin for error. He hit it good, glad he's on our team.' The Cubs (31-20) have won eight of the last 10 games. With their 13 runs Friday, they recorded their MLB-best 11th game with 10-plus runs, the franchise's most through the first 51 games of a season since 1898, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Crow-Armstrong was part of rare company following his performance against the Reds. 'There's no question that Pete's doing some things very uniquely right now and he does some things that other guys can't do, and that's so much fun to watch,' Counsell said. 'That's why you hear people chant his name all the time, and the fans see that too. So we're lucky to be able to watch something like this.' Crow-Armstrong's big swing adds to the budding lore of his rocketing stardom and magical first two months of the season. But little moments leading up to his grand slam helped set the stage. Left-hander Matthew Boyd recovered from a 34-pitch first inning that saw him work out of a bases-loaded jam with nobody out and the Reds already up 3-0. He went on to pitch three more innings, holding the hosts to one run in that span, to give the Cubs offense a chance to chip away, which started with Crow-Armstrong's two-run home run in the fourth to cut the deficit in half. 'You start to have the conversation of, 'Do we have to get somebody up?'' Counsell said. 'But a credit to Matt, you trust him in those situations to continue to make pitches. … It just wasn't going his way, but that's when you've got to keep making pitches, and that's when pitches made in the first inning affect the outcome of the game.' The Cubs grinded against Reds starter Hunter Greene in the right-hander's return from the injured list, forcing him to throw 47 pitches in the fourth — featuring two walks and a 12-pitch at-bat that ended in a popout from Nico Hoerner — to cap his night after the frame. Hoerner's awareness running to second and his ability to successfully dodge Reds second baseman Matt McLain's tag attempt on Matt Shaw's ground ball gave the Cubs two on with one out in the seventh. Three consecutive singles followed from Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker and Suzuki, bringing Crow-Armstrong to the plate for his heroics. 'It didn't feel like a huge deal at the time, but it set up the opportunity for runs in that inning and we had some amazing at-bats to make that possible,' Hoerner said. 'You can't guarantee comebacks, but you give them a good chance when you get extra outs and guys on base for especially our power guys in the middle of lineup, and they came through.' Nearly one-third of the way through the season, the Cubs' propensity for big innings, especially late in games, is a continuing theme. For as bleak as a game might be trending, as they experienced just one inning into Friday's, the offense has a knack for a reliability that has proved they often aren't truly out of it. Friday marked the third time the Cubs have scored at least 10 runs from the seventh inning and later in a game this year. They have done that three times in a season just twice in franchise history, in 1883 and 2023, per team historian Ed Hartig. 'It's just so professional and competitive, the willingness to just go and take good at-bats, regardless of the score or who's pitching or no matter what's going on,' Swanson said. 'The guys are taking such great at-bats, and even when we're up or when we're down, it doesn't really matter. Guys are going up there looking to have a productive at-bat, and that's rare. It's really, really challenging mentally. 'It's just a standard, this what we're about as an offense and guys are willing to obviously buy into it, and it's just really fun to be a part of with guys that are about something bigger than themselves.'
Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Cubs have found expanding star power with Crow-Armstrong
CHICAGO -- As Chicago Cubs officials contemplated the idea of star power -- how to acquire it, develop it and maximize it -- they also held out hope for an internal solution. In breaking up the 2016 World Series team, someone had to fill the void at Wrigley Field, capture the imagination of fans and produce monster seven WAR seasons. Though far from a guaranteed outcome, one hypothetical centered on: What if everything clicked for Pete Crow-Armstrong? You are looking at it right now. The Cubs in first place in the National League Central. Crow-Armstrong making leaping catches at the ivy and hitting home runs into the bleachers. Fans chanting, 'P-C-A,' and roaring when he drives the ball into the right-field corner, knowing that is an easy triple with his speed. The All-Star Game buzz and MVP chatter are already picking up. 'That's irrelevant to what I do on a daily basis,' Crow-Armstrong said. 'Simple as that.' This timeline would have sounded aggressive, if not unrealistic, during the early stages of this rebuild. Just last month, Crow-Armstrong was stuck on zero home runs through 73 plate appearances, with a batting average below .200. Negotiations around a long-term contract extension had fizzled. Though Crow-Armstrong's floor appeared secure as a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder, his career ceiling was undefined. He looked overmatched as a September call-up in 2023, and even a good second half to his rookie season left him as a below-average major league hitter. Perhaps this would be a year with some more growing pains, which would be fine if Kyle Tucker carried the Cubs back into the playoffs. But then Crow-Armstrong blasted two home runs April 13 at Dodger Stadium. He even blew a kiss to his parents behind home plate, which became a signature moment of ESPN's 'Sunday Night Baseball' broadcast and the start of his unreal hot streak. 'Every time he comes up to the plate,' Cubs catcher Carson Kelly said, 'you know something awesome might happen.' It happened again during Saturday afternoon's 7-3 win over the Chicago White Sox at the Friendly Confines, where a crowd of 40,134 watched Crow-Armstrong line a two-run single into center field, steal his 14th base and hustle for a triple. He has played in all of the club's 50 games, producing 12 homers, 39 RBIs, 38 runs scored and an .886 on-base plus slugging percentage, all while lighting up the defensive metrics. This is why Cubs' president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, likes to call it a young man's game. Entering Thursday, the players who have generated the highest Wins Above Replacement this season, according to FanGraphs, were Aaron Judge (4.3) and Crow-Armstrong (2.9), followed by five players at 2.8: Corbin Carroll, Cal Raleigh, Geraldo Perdomo, Bobby Witt Jr. and Shohei Ohtani. 'Pete's young,' manager Craig Counsell said. 'When you have players that are this young, they come to the big leagues, and you think, 'This is what they are.' And he's 23. Most guys haven't made their debut yet. So that's the beauty of getting to the big leagues at that age. 'It means you've succeeded against older players and in player development in the minor leagues. But it also means you're just new to this. He's a talented kid. He was a first-round pick for a reason. It's fun watching what's possible with players like this.' Growing up in Southern California, Crow-Armstrong was well known in baseball circles at an early age. He played for USA Baseball at multiple levels of international competition, beginning with the 12-and-under national team. He graduated from Harvard-Westlake School, which had produced first-round picks Max Fried, Lucas Giolito and Jack Flaherty. The Cubs passed on Crow-Armstrong in the 2020 MLB draft, but they got a second chance to acquire him in the Javier Báez deal with the New York Mets at the 2021 trade deadline, a franchise-altering day in so many ways. 'I always knew he was going to be a star,' said pitcher Cade Horton, the No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft, who remembered watching Crow-Armstrong play in high school. 'But this year, he's really found a groove, and it's awesome to watch. I love playing with guys like that, guys that just want to win and will do anything to help their team. 'He works hard. He knows what he's good at. He's going to cause chaos on the bases. He's going to hit home runs. He's going to make plays in center. He's got all the tools.' The Cubs have needed Crow-Armstrong's MVP-level stretch while some key players were out. Their leadoff man, Ian Happ, returned Tuesday, but All-Star pitcher Shota Imanaga is not expected back until June, and Justin Steele, a 2023 All-Star, is out for the season. After a great start, Tucker had cooled off a bit, but was 6 for 8 with two home runs in wins against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday and Wednesday. Ryan Pressly lost his job as the closer. Amid those issues, the record is 30-20, and the hardest part of the schedule was front-loaded. As flashy as Crow-Armstrong's play can be between the lines, his demeanor off the field is mild-mannered and introspective. 'This feeling's fleeting,' he said. 'It doesn't always stay.' Crow-Armstrong credited hitting coaches Dustin Kelly and John Mallee for helping him find a consistent stance that accentuates his athleticism. He acknowledged it is easier to hit with runners on base, in a deep lineup anchored by Tucker and Seiya Suzuki. He appreciated how teammates such as Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner encouraged him while he was struggling. In terms of approach, Crow-Armstrong also gave a shoutout to Justin Turner, the team's 40-year-old hitting guru. Whether you are feeling good or bad, Crow-Armstrong said, the main focus is 'being able to go up there like it's 0 for 0 every time.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Copyright 2025
