The Chicago Cubs made a lot of moves this past offseason and are now about a week into a 2026 campaign where big things are expected.

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The biggest move, of course, was the signing of three-time All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman to a 5-year, $175 million contract.

They finally pulled the trigger on a trade with the Miami Marlins for emerging powerhouse pitcher Edward Cabrera, who they had been eyeing already for the better part of two seasons.

They also restocked a depleted bullpen with the signing of four free agent relievers (Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, and Hunter Harvey).

They even secured the future of the franchise with big-money six-year extensions for centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and second baseman Nico Hoerner.

Despite a tepid start to the 2026 campaign, most would agree that this Cubs team looks deep and all-around good. The starting rotation is deep, the bullpen is versatile, the defense is elite, the offensive firepower is also there.

Speed kills—opposition

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One overlooked strength, though, could be the key to next-level success this season—speed. Specifically, speed as it pertains to having an aggressive mindset on the bases and the ability to pile up stolen bases.

Third base coach Quintin Berry is one of the key leaders in that area, tasked, along with first base coach Jose Javier, with getting the Cubs moving on base.

Last season, Chicago was tied for third in all of baseball with 161 stolen bases in 196 attempts, marking a near elite-level success rate just above the 82% mark. This season, the team is 7-for-7 in stolen base tries.

Berry came over from manager Craig Counsell’s old team, the Milwaukee Brewers, for the 2025 season in a thus far successful attempt at replicating the Brewers’ aggressive mindset on the bases. A former Cub, himself, Berry spent his MLB playing days as a baserunning specialist.

The Cubs’ baserunning specialist

The Chicago Sun-Times recently talked with him about his role in getting the Cubs moving.

“I’m more of a peace of mind [guy] — peace for [Crow-Armstrong],’’ Berry said. “Just like, what is he thinking, what’s he doing with his body. How to keep him relaxed and be confident.

“A lot of times, guys want to be quick. They’re trying so hard. I think the harder you try, the more tense you get, the more locked up, and then you see things that aren’t there, and then you get real passive, or you get real jumpy.

“So I’m just trying to make guys feel confident, confident and comfortable.’’

While home runs and strikeouts get most of the fan and media love, stealing bases and being able to get an extra bag here and there is such an overlooked asset in baseball. It adds a level of extra pressure to an opponent and forces them to operate outside their original plan. And the Cubs have been built with an eye on speed. Up and down the lineup, with the exception of maybe two spots, there’s some serious running ability present.

Could this ability to steal bases prove to be the deciding factor in how this season finishes? As always, time will tell.

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The Chicago Cubs are 3-3 through the first six games of the 2026 MLB regular season. While there have been frustrating moments early, it is easy to see the potential this team has to be among the best in baseball. With a talented roster with multiple high-quality players, it will not be long before the Cubs start climbing back up the standings.

Despite the fact that the season is only a week old, some are starting to wonder what players from around baseball will end up representing their teams in the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. Undoubtedly, the Cubs have multiple players that could play in the Mid-Summer Classic, but Bleacher Report predicts only three of them will.

Bleacher Report predicts Alex Bregman and Daniel Palencia will join Pete Crow-Armstrong on the NL All-Star roster

In Bleacher Report‘s first All-Star roster projection since the start of the season, they predicted that Chicago will be sending three players to the game. They predict that Alex Bregman will be voted in as the NL starting third baseman. They also named Pete Crow-Armstrong an All-Star reserve, and Daniel Palenica as one of the pitchers.

Bregman was an All-Star for the third time in his career last year while playing for the Boston Red Sox. This year, through six games, he is hitting .208/.321/.458 with two home runs and three RBI. However, he was walked (four times) more than he has struck out (twice).

Crow-Armstrong made his first career All-Star team last year. So far this season, he is hitting .261/.320/.261 with three RBI.

Palecia has never been named to an All-Star team in his career. In two appearances this season, he has to record a run. He may have made a name for himself among those choosing All-Star pitchers, though, with all well he pitched in the World Baseball Classic.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Matthew Boyd responds in strong outing in Cubs win
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• Craig Counsell announces exciting timeline for Seiya Suzuki return

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has turned heads very early this season with some very intriguing data points.

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By the account of some well-respected baseball analysts, PCA’s bat speed has ticked up considerably and he’s currently swinging the bat faster than anyone in MLB. As a matter of fact, his top-end bat speed right now is greater than that of any qualified player over the last two seasons.

Last season, the emerging young star, who just signed a 6-year, $115 million contract extension, blew people away with a stellar first half of the year before experiencing a significant fall over the second half. Overall, though, he finished 2025 with high-end stats that included 31 home runs, 95 RBIs, and 35 stolen bases, as well as a Gold Glove.

PCA on the verge of even bigger things?

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Over the offseason, the 24-year-old Crow-Armstrong worked on the mechanics of his batting stance and is sporting a more balanced approach at the plate, which is likely leading to the faster swing speed. So far, though, his 6 hits this season have all been singles.

But increased bat speed is considered a harbinger of good things to come, across the board, for a hitter.

Evan Altman of Cubs Insider lays out the case for why increased bat speed is not only important for power numbers, but also for overall success at the plate:

“The thing about increased bat speed isn’t just that it will directly correlate to more home runs, but that it broadens a hitter’s margin for error. Every additional tick of EV correlates to around 7 feet of ball flight, which means carrying over a shortstop’s glove or past a leaping outfielder. And in a game decided by fractions of inches or seconds, hitting a ball even slightly harder puts that much pressure on the defense.”

A 50-home run season?

Driveline Baseball ops analyst Sam Ehrlich is estimating that PCA’s added 3.5 mph of bat speed—the greatest jump in all of MLB—could make for a 50 home run season if the trend continues.

PCA w +3.5mph of bat speed could be looking at a 50HR season. Small sample, but that is a massive gain https://t.co/KGhKX9jI2A pic.twitter.com/1SHZz2Es9l

— sam ehrlich (@SamEhrlich) March 30, 2026

Eno Sarris of The Athletic, using his own metrics, has arrived at the same conclusion that the young star is currently sporting a mighty swing:

“Pete Crow-Armstrong is swinging a powerful stick right now. Using our method, we find that he’s swinging more than 2 mph harder this March than he did in September. At Driveline Baseball, they are big proponents of bat speed training, and they were enthusiastic about PCA’s gains, even modeling what the increased bat speed would mean.

The real gains for the Cubs’ center fielder are probably smaller than this, but it also seems likely that last year’s 31 homers were not a mirage, and more might be coming this season.”

It’s wild to imagine that a 30+ home run season from the Cubs centerfielder in 2025 could actually be the just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what he’s capable of doing.

Of course, all of this actually has to play out on the field, But, still, it’s pretty exciting to think that the best of PCA may be yet to come.

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Chicago Cubs ownership had been blasted prior to this offseason for being too conservative, too unwilling to spend like the major market team they are. Those criticisms have been quieted this year.

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Over the offseason, the Cubs restocked a depleted bullpen with four free agent relievers, signed free agent three-time All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman, and extended center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong on a six-year-deal. After Opening Day, they then extended second baseman Nico Hoerner on another six-year deal. They even flipped on their informal policy against deferred money by using some of that down-the-road cash in the Bregman and Hoerner deals.

Per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic:

“Within one fiscal quarter, the Chicago Cubs guaranteed $431 million to three players [Bregman, PCA, Hoerner] in deals that will cover 17 total seasons.”

Throw in the bullpen acquisitions, minor league contract deals, and a couple of position players, and we’re talking about a half-billion dollars invested into the team this year by the Ricketts family. It’s not Dodgers-level spending, but this isn’t something done unless ownership is really serious about winning.

Bregman speaks on Cubs investment

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“They see the potential of this team being a winner for a sustainable period of time,” Bregman told reporters Saturday at Wrigley Field. “When you have a team like that, you want to invest in it.”

The soon-to-be 32-year-old Bregman was acquired as a cornerstone of the Cubs immediate future and now he has company in that regard with Crow-Armstrong and Hoerner.

Including shortstop Dansby Swanson and first baseman Michael Busch, who are both under contract through the 2029 season, the Cubs are guaranteed to be featuring the same five of eight position players for at least the next four season. And that number becomes six of eight if you include catcher Miguel Amaya, who is also under contract through the 2029 season.

That’s the kind of security most teams would kill for. The Cubs, specifically, believe in the team they’re fielding to such a degree that they were willing to go all-in, monetarily (at least as all-in as the Cubs would realistically go).

Daring in the face of uncertainty

Chicago’s offseason daring wasn’t just limited to spending, though. Trading their top prospect Owen Caissie (along with two other prospects) for three years of pitcher Edward Cabrera also screams of confidence that they can not only compete for a championship right now, but also win one (or more).

“It’s hard to try and re-create something good every year with a bunch of new pieces,” Swanson told media. “That’s in any business. So when you have good things going, you try and find ways to keep them and also improve at the same time. Continuity is huge.”

The Cubs are still facing a lot of uncertainty this offseason, however. Core elements of the team such as Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, and Shota Imanaga could all be gone next season via free agency. The bullpen could also find itself nearly as depleted at the end of 2026 as it was at the end of 2025.

For now, though, the Cubs have locked in much of the foundation for the future. Whether they’re actually serious about winning should stop being a question.

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2026 looms as a pivotal season for the Chicago Cubs. A wave of key players are set to hit free agency while facing a new collective bargaining agreement that could reshape the financial landscape. Despite this, the team has already shown a willingness to spend big by locking in Alex Bregman, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Nico Hoerner, on top of Dansby Swanson,who is locked up through the 2029 season.

For Cubs fans, it’s encouraging to see Jed Hoyer getting the green light from the Ricketts Family to commit $175 million to Bregman, $115 million to Crow-Armstrong, and $141 million to Hoerner, bringing their total spending since the end of last off-season up to $488 million. That said, many might be wondering “how are they doing this?”

Chicago Cubs post-2026 payday window could be driving recent contracts handed out

As things currently stand, right now the Cubs are scheduled to have $124.325 million come off the books at seasons end, according to a deep dive of the finances by Michael Cerami at BleacherNation. Of the 14 players potentially becoming free agents, five are making more than $10 million and two more than $20 million. Additionally, all of Shota Imanaga, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Jameson Taillon, and Matthew Boyd are over 30 years old, meaning they are unlikely to get long term contracts.

Money coming off #Cubs books at the end of this season (luxury tax):

Imanaga: $22.025M
Happ: $20.3M
Suzuki: $17M
Taillon: $17M
Boyd: $14.5M
Rea: $6.5M*
Harvey: $6M
Kelly: $5.75M
Thielbar: $4.5M
Milner: $3.75M
Carlson: $2M
Conforto: $2M
Webb: $1.5M*
Austin: $1.5M

Total:…

— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) March 28, 2026

In other words, the Cubs aren’t just spending to spend, they’re strategically extending their competitive window. By committing big money now, they’re locking in cornerstone talent before that financial flexibility opens up, positioning themselves to supplement the new future core even further once contracts from Imanaga, Happ, Suzuki, Taillon, Boyd, and others roll off.

Furthermore, no matter how the next collective bargaining agreement shakes out, the Cubs are positioned to have significant financial flexibility next winter. Even if a new CBA introduces stricter payroll thresholds or spending penalties, this kind of built-in breathing room ensures the Cubs can remain aggressive, whether that means pursuing top free agents or trading for more talent.

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The Chicago Cubs did not get off to the start that they wanted to in 2026. They dropped their Opening Day game against the Washington Nationals by the score of 10-4. However, over the span of the last few days, they have locked up two of their core players for the long run.

After the Opening Day game was over, it was reported that the Cubs and Gold Glove outfielder Nico Hoerner had agreed to a long-term extension. This news came after Chicago announced that they had signed All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong to a six-year $115 million contract.

On Friday, Crow-Armstrong addressed the media for the first time since signing his new contract.

Pete Crow-Armstrong praises Chicago Cubs fans

When Crow-Armstrong spoke to the media on Friday, he was highly complimentary of the Cubs organization and manager Craig Counsell. But he also seemed to indicate that it was the fans in Chicago themselves who made him want to stay right where he was for the long-term.

“I’m most excited about being in Chicago for the next six-plus years, very lucky to be in an amazing city and around the people here,” Crow-Armstrong said.

“This is one of the most unique baseball cities in the world, I would argue that it’s the best. It was the coolest thing for me to learn about Cubs fans and the attention they pay. They’re not quick to turn things negative. It really helps us as players to play in front of people who want to win, but are also just happy to be at the ballpark and watch baseball.”

While Opening Day did not go the way the Cubs wanted it to, it is a 162-game season. They have months of baseball left to play.

And thanks to this extension, and their fans, Chicago will have Crow-Armstrong around for next 1,000+ baseball games.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs World Series champion outfielder officially retires
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• Cubs were outbid for All-Star closer this off-season

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs are about to kick off a 2026 season where big acquisitions were made and big things are expected. Manager Craig Counsell just released today’s Opening Day lineup for the game against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field in Chicago (1:20 pm CT).

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There are a couple of surprises in this season-opening lineup, but nothing earth-rattling.

Any surprises in the Opening Day lineup?

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First, first baseman Michael Busch is leading off. There were some projected Cubs lineups that had him filling that spot, but there was also the belief that maybe his power presence (34 homers last season) would be better felt somewhere near the middle of the lineup.

New Cub Alex Bregman is a good choice for no. 2 and his presence should be of great benefit to no. 3 hitter Ian Happ.

Pete Crow-Armstrong in the cleanup spot is also a bit of a surprise as he moves down from the second-half-of lineup position he worked most of last season. Is this an indication that big things are expected of the newly-extended young star this year?

Nico Hoerner in the fifth slot is, arguably, the biggest surprise of this Opening Day lineup. Hoerner, with his strong contact-hitting abilities and stellar on-base rate, is the prototypical no. 2 hitter. Leadoff would’ve also been a not-so-surprising placement.

Rookie DH Moises Ballesteros will get his first Opening Day lineup designation, batting seventh and serving as the lefty bat between righties Carson Kelly and Dansby Swanson.

Matt Shaw playing right field and taking the no. 9 spot in the lineup is not that much of a surprise given his big spring and the team’s apparent confidence in his abilities as a super utility player. A case could’ve been made for new Cub veteran outfielder Michael Conforto taking the right field Seiya Suzuki spot in this big game, but it’s not too much of a shocker that Counsell decided to go with the sophomore Shaw.

Taking the mound is Matthew Boyd

Taking the mound for the first game of the 2026 season will be lefty Matthew Boyd, who worked his way into Cubs ace status following the early-season year-ending injury of Justin Steele last April, with an outstanding 2025.

The game will be broadcast on Marquee Sports Network.

Here’s your 2026 Chicago Cubs Opening Day lineup:

Michael Busch 1B
Alex Bregman 3B
Ian Happ LF
Pete Crow-Armstrong CF
Nico Hoerner 2B
Carson Kelly C
Moises Ballesteros DH
Dansby Swanson SS
Matt Shaw RF

Matthew Boyd P

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It’s the dawn of a new Chicago Cubs season, with a clean slate and many possibilities ahead. Expectations are high with the sole goal of a World Series championship. If that wasn’t made clear enough, listen to what newcomer Alex Bregman has said to the media multiple times. There is no lack of confidence in that Cubs clubhouse heading into 2026.

Ownership opened the wallet, and President Jed Hoyer was very active this Winter to address holes and bolster the pitching staff. It’s all on the players to perform now.

Familiar Cubs vibes heading into 2026.

Any fan who has been around a while to witness the start of a Cubs season has felt a range of emotions. While the classic “This is the year!” slogan fueled the Cubs faithful for a century, deep down, there was an understanding that the team would likely be at the bottom of the standings by year’s end. Then came seasons like 2004, 2008, and 2016, where the expectations were “World Series or bust”. It’s safe to say the 2026 Cubs have as close to that “World Series or bust” feeling as they’ve had since they won it all a decade ago.

Like the three seasons mentioned above, the Cubs are coming off a playoff berth and have added notable pieces in the offseason. The additions of Bregman, Edward Cabrera, and several bullpen arms bring the belief that the squad that won 92 games and the Wild Card round last year can take another step. In 2015-2016, they added Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, and John Lackey to a young core that won 97 games and made it to the NLCS. One could say Pete Crow-Armstrong’s extension was that extra preseason vibe boost that they got when Dexter Fowler unexpectedly returned in 2016.

Are the overall feelings quite as strong as in 2016? Probably not. That doesn’t mean the 2026 Cubs cannot win it all, but the 2016 Cubs had all the stars aligned with no real weaknesses. They had slain the rival dragon Cardinals in 2015, while the Brewers have reigned over the current Cubs for years now. There was also no super team like the Dodgers to get through; the 16′ Cubs were clearly the favorite to win the NL pennant.

Expectations compared to recent years.

Over the last two seasons, projections have been bullish on the Cubs. Even last year, they were picked to win the NL Central after acquiring Kyle Tucker. With that said, prior to last year, the Cubs came off multiple 83-win seasons in 2023 and 2024 and had losing records in 2021 and 2022. People had not seen this regime succeed, and plenty criticized the Ricketts for not spending like a big-market team. This bred skepticism.

Now this regime has tasted postseason success, and the Cubs spent big money. It adds to the bullishness people have towards the team, now that they have seen they can be good enough to make the big dance.

The time for talk is over, and it’s time to play ball. There is potential for 2026 to be a special year for the Cubs, and hopefully, they deliver. Anything less than another postseason run would be very disappointing. They are not perfect and are not without their concerns, but they’re a talented group of guys who seem to have built a great culture and have their eyes on the prize.

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The Chicago Cubs have locked up their brightest young star, Pete Crow-Armstrong, to a six-year contract worth $115 million. The extension does not begin until the 2027 season, so he is locked into Chicago through the 2032 season. This year, Crow-Armstrong is playing on his pre-arbitration salary, which means he is getting paid $894,000. However, he also was given a $5 million signing bonus for 2026, giving him a wage of $5.894 million.

Last year, the Cubs approached Crow-Armstrong about signing a long-term contract extension. It is said to have been worth about $66 million. He turned it down hoping to earn a larger offer in the future. Clearly, it worked out for him.

Pete Crow-Armstrong contract details with the Chicago Cubs revealed

Crow-Armstrong’s contract, as stated, is a six-year deal worth $115 million, giving him an annual salary of $19 million. However, he is not going to be paid exactly $19 million in any of the contract’s six seasons.

According to Mark Feinsand, the Cubs have structured Crow-Armstrong’s deal so that he gets salary bumps every few years:

PCA contract details, per source:

$5M Signing Bonus
2027-29: $10M
2030: $20M
2031-32: $30M

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) March 25, 2026

As referenced above, $5 million of the extension is being applied to the 2026 season as a signing bonus. Then, he will be paid $10 million a year in 2027, 2028, and 2029.

2030 will see Crow-Armstrong getting paid $20 million, and then he will earn $30 million a year in 2031 and 2032.

The Cubs center fielder is coming off a season in which he hit .247/.287/.481 with 31 home runs, 95 RBI, and 35 stolen bases. If he can cut down on his strikeouts and improve his on-base percentage, $30 million a year for him in 2031 and 2032 will be an absolute steal by the time those years roll around.

What will be interesting to see, and this is true for all MLB contracts, is how teams and players view them if there is a lockout in 2027. If there is no season, his contract could be bumped to 2033.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Where does Pete Crow-Armstrong’s contract rank in Cubs history?
• Cubs finalize contract with Pete Crow-Armstrong
• Michael Busch predicted to be 10th Cubs player to accomplish this feat

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong have officially reached a contract extension. About a year ago, the talented but still relatively unproven outfielder was approached about a long-term deal, but he chose to bet on his offensive growth in 2025. It paid off in a big way as he went on to put together a 30 home run/30 stolen base season with 95 runs batted in.

Now armed with proven big league success at the plate, Crow-Armstrong has agreed to a six-year, $115 million contract, that could reach up to $133 with escalators. This deal buys out his first two free agent years and does not include any additional option years. This makes it the largest contract ever with no club options for a player with five years of control remaining. For reference, he previously turned down a deal in the $66-$75 million range.

As impressive as Crow-Armstrong’s deal is, especially considering he was just days shy of turning 25 at the time of the extension announcement and had only three seasons under his belt, it’s worth examining where it ranks among the richest contracts in Cubs history.

Where does Pete Crow-Armstrong’s contract rank among richest in Chicago Cubs history?

Earlier this offseason, the Cubs signed Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million deal, the third-largest contract in franchise history. Only Jason Heyward’s $184 million pact and Dansby Swanson’s $177 million deal rank higher.

Outside of those top three, Crow-Armstrong is one of just a handful of players to surpass the $100 million mark. Jon Lester signed for six years and $155 million, Alfonso Soriano received $136 million, and Yu Darvish landed a $126 million deal. That places Crow-Armstrong’s $115 million contract seventh overall in Cubs history.

Richest Chicago Cubs contracts in team history

1. Jason Heyward – 8 years, $184 million

2. Dansby Swanson – 7 years, $177 million

3. Alex Bregman – 5 years, $175 million

4. Jon Lester – 6 years, $155 million

5. Alfonso Soriano – 8 years, $136 million

6. Yu Darvish – 6 years, $126 million

7. Pete Crow Armstrong – 6 years, $115 million

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On Monday night news broke that the Chicago Cubs and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong were finalizing a long-term contract extension. Now, just under 24 hours later, that deal is finalized.

Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, the two sides have agreed on a six-year, $115 million contract extension. The deal starts in 2027 and does not include a club option,which is rare these days. In the end, the two sides were able to hammer out a deal to keep the star center fielder in Chicago for the long term.

That’s not only a win for the Cubs and Crow-Armstrong but for the fan base as well.

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

As Passan notes, no club option is rare:

“This is by far the biggest guarantee for a player with five years of club control that doesn’t include an option. Cubs were still fine with it. They get a high-floor player with superstar ceiling,” Passan said in a follow up tweet.

Crow-Armstrong will turn 24 on Wednesday ahead of Opening Day for the Cubs. He’s considered a key piece to the team’s core and will now be here for the long haul as the Cubs continue to build out this roster.

Last season, Crow-Armstrong hit .247/.287/.481 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI’s. While he struggled in the second half of the season, his defense was still elite which helped the Cubs in their push to the playoffs.

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The Chicago Cubs have many bright young stars on their roster. Perhaps none of them are as bright, though, as center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Last year, he became the first Cubs player since Sammy Sosa to have a 30-home run and 3-stolen base season.

He is also under club control until 2031 and not arbitration eligible until 2027. But with so much uncertain regarding whether or not there will even be a season in 2027, and not knowing what the salary cap will be (if there is a harder one placed on teams, eventually), Chicago wanted to make sure they can retain their star for the long haul.

Pete Crow-Armstrong turned down a contract extension in 2025

Last night, news was buzzing that Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs are finalizing a lucrative long-term extension. While the details have not yet been announced, it is assumed that it will be worth well over $100 million. He will probably be the second-highest paid player on the team behind Alex Bregman.

This is, of course, well-deserved, but also a lesson in the benefit of betting on one’s self. According to Mark Feinsand, the Cubs approached their star center fielder about a contract extension last year:

Last April, the Cubs approached Crow-Armstrong about a long-term extension that would have maxed out ~$75 million if all option years had been exercised.

The deal the two sides are closing in on should be worth far more after PCA’s 6.0-WAR, All-Star & Gold Glove 2025 season.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) March 24, 2026

As one can see from the post above, the offer Chicago made to Crow-Armstrong was worth $66 million and maxed out at $75 million, though the length of the proposed contract was not given.

Of course, he turned it down.

PCA went on to hit .247/.287/.481 with 31 home runs, 95 RBI, and 35 stolen bases last season. He won the Gold Glove in center field and was named a National League All-Star.

Clearly, the Cubs think that this is just the beginning for PCA and want to keep him around beyond his arbitration years.

Now they will, and he is cashing in.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs option top outfield prospects to Iowa
• Cubs finalizing a massive extension with Pete Crow-Armstrong
• Cubs 2026 Opening Day starting rotation appears set

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs are getting ready for the 2026 season, but there is still work happening before Opening Day. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been one of the top players in the majors the last few seasons and continues to improve on both sides of the field.

With a lockout likely happening following this season, the Cubs are ready to lock him up for a long-term deal.

Let’s take a closer look at what is known at this point and what it means for Chicago.

The Chicago Cubs are finalizing a massive extension for Pete Crow-Armstrong

Crow-Armstrong has quickly been able to dominate in the majors as he enters his fourth season in the bigs. ESPN’s Jeff Passan is reporting that the Cubs and Crow-Armstrong are finalizing a massive extension. The details of the contract are not known as of this writing, but it is expected to be a long-term deal. With the lockout looming after this season, Chicago is making sure they have Crow-Armstrong under contract for a long time.

This certainly is not coming out of left field as Chicago was attempting to sign a deal last offseason. However, the deal is certainly going to be more than the reported $66 million extension they offered in 2025. Crow-Armstrong had a breakout season by finishing ninth in the NL MVP voting and winning the NL Gold Glove in center field. At the plate, he posted a .247/.287/.481 slash line with 31 homers, 95 RBI, and 35 stolen bases.

It is clear the Cubs view him as the centerpiece of the franchise and a budding superstar. Now, it will be intriguing to see what the contract actually looks like and how long the 21-year-old signs for. Being a pre-arbitration player, he could simply have his arbitration bought out, but don’t be surprised to see a lengthy deal as well.

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The Chicago Cubs ended last season, publicly declaring their goal to focus on pitching in the offseason. They lived up to their words with a deep investment in restocking a depleted bullpen via four solid free agent acquisitions. Then, they bolstered the starting rotation with a high-profile trade with the Miami Marlins for emerging powerhouse pitcher Edward Cabrera.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Pete Crow-Armstrong contract extension talk heats up

On the offense side, the Cubs also managed to make some big news, although there was a big subtraction that went along with an addition.

They picked up free agent Alex Bregman, a three-time All-Star third baseman, as a lineup replacement for right fielder Kyle Tucker, who would eventually sign a monster deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Tucker was a linchpin for an overwhelming Cubs offense over the first three months of last season, but then fell apart completely and languished in a career-worst extended slump for the rest of the year. Bregman, meanwhile, is probably a level lower with the bat than Tucker, but offers a more consistent defense and is the kind of positive clubhouse presence Tucker couldn’t be.

Everything else in the Cubs’ lineup is the same as late last year. As a result, the team’s focus will be on revisiting the highs from last season’s offense while avoiding the team-wide hitting slumps that plagued the offense over the second half of 2025.

A conservative ranking for the Cubs’ lineup

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Jim Bowden of The Athletic spotlighted the highs and the question marks of Chicago’s lineup by giving the team a mid-ish no. 7 ranking in his recent list of the MLB lineups, one spot behind the New York Mets and one spot ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Per Bowden:

“The Cubs lost right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Dodgers, but pivoted perfectly by landing third baseman Alex Bregman. In addition to his strong bat, Bregman gives the Cubs a significant clubhouse presence who is willing to help other players and should be a positive influence on this deep lineup.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is working to be more consistent this year after seeing his second-half performance fall off considerably following a very strong first half. Even with the second-half struggles, however, he was worth 6.0 bWAR thanks to his power, speed and excellent center-field defense…

The Cubs will try to win the division with pitching, elite defense and this well-balanced offense.”

Primed for a letdown?

The Cubs are staring down the fact that a lot of their offensive assets had career years last season (PCA, Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner) and the question will be whether last season was the tip of an iceberg for them or a prelude to a comedown.

It’ll also be interesting to see how rookie Moises Ballesteros does over the course of an entire season. In minimal at bats last year, he certainly looked like the real deal.

Time will tell what the Cubs’ offense looks like this coming season, but there’s a lot to be excited about as well as some things that spark concern.

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The Chicago Cubs realize the value of center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and seem to be acting accordingly. By all accounts, they are very willing to make a real effort to extend the soon to be 24-year-old.

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MLB insider Jon Heyman recently touched on that in a NY Post article talking about possible MLB extensions.

According to the veteran baseball writer, the Cubs are willing to be significantly more generous with a current offer than they were with the extension deal they tossed PCA’s way prior to the 2025 season.

Per Heyman:

“The Cubs offered $66M last spring and are believed willing to go significantly higher for their star CF. But there’s no indication anything’s close.”

Of course they are. They have to be.

Crow-Armstrong hit 31 home runs, drove in 95 runs, and stole 35 bases last season, while playing Gold Glove defense. Before earning his first All-Star game nod, he was already the talk of baseball and a clear emerging superstar with the charisma and high-end ability to support that assessment.

Even with a particularly brutal dip over the second half of the season, the baseball world is still bullish on PCA. Superstar money is right around the corner.

How much would a PCA extension cost?

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But how much could the young star get in a Cubs extension? Estimates vary, but none are below the $130 million mark.

Aldo Soto of Sports Mockery projects that the deal could reach as high as $240 million over 11 years, something which would keep Crow-Armstrong a Cub through the 2036 season.

Per Soto:

“$130 million guaranteed through 2032 (incentives increase annual value). So, that initial seven-year, $130 million extension would buy out his arbitration years and two free agent years, 2031 and 2032, respectively. Then, you can include escalators for the next four years of the contract where at the minimum Crow-Armstrong is in the $30 million range, incentivizing him to stay with the Cubs and not go into free agency. In turn, the Cubs could add a couple different team options to secure Crow-Armstrong beyond the four years after the initial guaranteed extension expires. Add in three option years and make the total max value near $400 million over 14 or 15 years.”

Cubs are staring down big budget/roster decision

That’s a lot to ask of a Cubs team that generally shies away from contracts that big over that many years. It’s an especially tough proposition when one considers the decisions that need to be made at the end of the coming season.

Chicago will have several core members of their roster either eligible for free agency or staring down options for next season. Important names such as Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and Carson Kelly could be gone after 2026. Few, if any of the above, will be extended before the end of the 2026 campaign or re-signed as free agents after that. The team will have a lot of budget and roster decisions to make very soon, just as a pending labor dispute challenges the 2027 season.

But Crow-Armstrong is a special player demanding of special consideration. It seems likely that the Cubs will move to lock him in before working on the other issues.

The young talent has gone on record numerous times about his desire to stay in Chicago and remain a Cub.

“I’ve made it clear I want to be here for as long as they want me,” Crow-Armstrong said in a recent Chicago Magazine profile piece. “I want what’s best for the team.

“I play the game because I like beating other people. The money will be life-changing regardless. I would like to get a fair deal so I don’t f**k the market up. I want to look out for the other center fielders who have to go through the same process. Which is why I’m glad [Cubs management] and my agents are figuring out how to do this.”

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The Chicago Cubs enter the 2026 season with a unique roster makeup. There are a number of veterans on the team (Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, etc.), but there are also a lot of young, 20-something stars (Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Cade Horton, and Daniel Palencia, among others).

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With so many veterans possibly leaving the team for free agency at the end of the 2026 campaign, it’s reassuring that there are also so many young players still with them over the long haul.

The Athletic recently acknowledged two of the Cubs’ young stars– Crow-Armstrong and Horton– as especially valuable assets by naming them to their MLB All-Under-25 Team.

Pete Crow-Armstrong gets his props

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Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was an honorable mention in the publication’s All-Under-25 Team last year, was named the top young center fielder on this year’s list.

Per Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic:

“Crow-Armstrong was another honorable mention on last year’s All-Under-25 Team; at that point, he carried a meager .652 OPS in the majors. He changed the narrative in 2025. Through Aug. 1, Crow-Armstrong batted .273/.309/.560 (.869 OPS) with 27 homers and 29 steals, then faded down the stretch. He won his first Gold Glove and finished ninth in NL MVP voting. Swing-and-miss remains an issue, but the power-defense combination in center field is immensely valuable.”

The struggles of “PCA” are well-documented, but so is his tremendous upside, which makes him a dream multi-tool star with the competitive drive to match.

The soon-to-be 24-year-old, who came to the Cubs in a 2021 trade involving Javier Baez, has been very open about the stress and strain of maintaining his progress in the rough, tough world of major league baseball. Last season’s second-half dip saw him displaying clear frustration. But it’s his openness, honesty, and competitive drive that could see him through his growing pains.

Cade Horton rewarded for breakthrough 2025

The Athletic also named Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton to their All-Under-25 squad.

The 24-year-old was not even slated for the major league team in 2025, but was pulled up from Triple-A when starter Shota Imanaga went on the IL with a hamstring injury.

Although Horton performed well enough in his first tour of big league duty, he REALLY took off after the All-Star break.

The Cubs’ 2022 no. 1 draft pick dominated over the second half of the season, delivering an 8-1 record and posting an amazing 1.03 ERA in twelve starts after the All-Star break. Over that run, he was, arguably, the best pitcher in all of baseball. A late September rib fracture, however, put him on the shelf and prevented him from pitching in the postseason. The final season tally saw Horton finish the year with an 11-4 record and a 2.67 ERA, plus a second place finish in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Per Nesbitt:

“Despite missing the 2025 postseason with a cracked rib, Horton was vital for the Cubs as a rookie, posting a 2.67 ERA over 118 innings and stabilizing the rotation in the second half. Horton ran a modest strikeout rate (20.4 percent), but his plus command and the elite defense behind him made hunting early contact an effective approach.”

Both Crow-Armstrong and Horton stand to be big parts of the Cubs’ 2026 team and, in many ways, play pivotal roles in the team’s success.

22-year-old Rookie DH/catcher Moises Ballesteros, another big piece to Chicago’s 2026 puzzle, also received an honorable mention by the sports news outlet.

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The Chicago Cubs and their fans have their eyes fixed on the World Baseball Classic [WBC] final Tuesday night, when Team USA meets Team Venezuela for the championship. Specifically, they’ll be watching Team Venezuela closer Daniel Palencia along with Team USA stars Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman.

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On Monday, Palencia continued his scorching-hot spring by closing out the semifinal game against the surprising Team Italy. It was another dominant showing from the 26-year-old, who pitched a shutout ninth inning, striking out the last two batters of the game.

So far this spring, the Cubs closer has yet to give up a run. In the WBC, he’s pitched 4 shutdown innings, striking out 7. In regular Cactus League play, he’s thrown 3 scoreless innings, striking out 3.

Palencia on the secret to his run of success

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Before Monday’s game against the Italians, Palencia talked to the guys at MLB Network about he found the success last season, that has extended through this spring, after not having much success at the major league level before.

“For me, it was just finding a way to put the fastball wherever I want,” Palencia told them. “Using more my splitter and my slider, in that way I can protect my fastball…and it works right now”

Last season, he had a surprise breakthrough season for Chicago. Called up from Triple-A Iowa in mid-April following the Justin Steele injury, he would soon win the closer gig in an eye-catching run that made him a Wrigley Field fan favorite. Through the end of July, the hard-throwing righty had posted an impressive 1.40 ERA and was working with the swagger of an established veteran.

Then, things kind of went sideways.

Over the final two months of the regular season, Palencia fell off. He posted a 7.07 ERA in 17 appearances during that time and suffered through an IL stint after the first week of September. In the playoffs, he was no longer closing games and, instead, being used by manager Craig Counsell as a mid-game stopgap.

Cubs are bullish on Palencia

Very early this spring, however, Counsell made the bold move of declaring him the Cubs closer.

“I told Counsell the first time I met him, ‘I’m going to be ready wherever you need me,’” Palencia told MLB Network. “Last year, he put me in the sixth, in the fourth, seventh sometimes. I just try to be ready whenever he needs me. If you need me in the first, I’m going to be ready.”

He did acknowledge, though, that “of course” coming out to pitch in the ninth was cooler.

Then, Palencia was asked about the possibility of facing Cubs teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong, who’s playing center field for Team USA.

“I would love to face Pete…[In spring training] I told him, ‘I’m coming after you.’ It was the same with Seiya. I told him, ‘Hey, bro, I’m coming for you.’”

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Italy has changed its plans for who will start the Semifinal game against Venezuela. According to Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extra Base, manager Francisco Cervelli will start right-hander Aaron Nola over right-hander Michael Lorenzen.

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Nola has pitched five innings this World Baseball Classic, struck out five. Italy and Cervelli feel that the Philadelphia Phillies All-Star right-hander gives them the best chance to advance to the finals.

Cambio de planes en Italia: Aaron Nola será el abridor contra Venezuela, no Michael Lorenzen.

Es un movimiento meramente estratégico por parte de Francisco Cervelli. https://t.co/tPRNMqVyt4

— Daniel Álvarez-Montes (@DanielAlvarezEE) March 16, 2026

Italy has been perfect in the World Baseball Classic

Despite being an underdog in the World Baseball Classic, Italy is a perfect 5-0. Italy showed it could hang with teams like the United States, beating them 8-6 on March 10. Lorenzen went 4.2 innings, allowing two hits, a walk, and striking out two without allowing a run.

If Lorenzen had to pitch in the game against Venezuela, left-hander Sam Aldegheri would be an option to start. Aldegheri struggled in his last appearance against Puerto Rico, pitching 1.1 innings and allowing two earned runs and a home run while walking two.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has done well in the World Baseball Classic

Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has done well filling in for Minnesota Twins centerfielder Byron Buxton, who got hit on his hand during an at-bat against Brazil. In five games, Crow-Armstrong is hitting .294, has hit two home runs, and driven in six RBI.

The United States will send New York Mets right-hander Nolan McClean to the mound. McClean struggled in his one outing against Italy, allowing three earned runs, two walks, and two home runs in four innings.

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Team USA punched their tickets to the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic after beating Canada 5-3 on Friday night. They will now face off against the Dominican Republic on Sunday night.

A big reason why they are in this position is due to the play of Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

He’s been in and out of the lineup for Team USA but when he gets the start from Mark DeRosa, he’s delivered. And you could argue he’s been the best position player for Team USA. Crow-Armstrong proved that once again on Friday night in the win over Canada.

Pete Crow-Armstrong’s hot start at World Baseball Classic

On Friday, Crow-Armstrong got the start in center field once again for Team USA over Byron Buxton. He finished the game 2-of-4 with 1 RBI and played really good defense in the outfield. That brings his numbers up to an impressive pace this World Baseball Classic.

PCA has been COOKING so far in the #WorldBaseballClassic

.357 AVG || .438 OBP || .857 SLG

2 HR
6 RBI
4 R
2 SO pic.twitter.com/jZjqaztmgX

— DodgersMuse (@LADodgersMuse) March 14, 2026

This performance comes after Crow-Armstrong was a significant part of the team’s performance against Italy. Despite a loss, Crow-Armstrong hit two home runs to help the run differential tiebreaker. He showed off his power which the Cubs are hoping he has again this season.

With a huge game against the Dominican Republic coming up, it will be interesting to see if DeRosa goes with Crow-Armstrong as the starter in center field. Or if he goes back to Buxton. It’s hard to imagine the latter in this situation.

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The Chicago Cubs are looking to be a World Series contender in 2026. They have some outstanding talent throughout their roster, but there are some significant players who need to step up in order to do so. Let’s take a closer look at one player who could be the difference between Chicago’s season being a success or a failure.

Jeff Passan puts the 2026 Chicago Cubs season on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s shoulders

ESPN’s Jeff Passan posted his 2026 season preview, and when discussing the Cubs, he mentioned center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong being the player the season hinges on. Below is what Passan wrote about the outfielder heading into his age-24 season:

“Of all the players on the Cubs — and there are a lot of good ones — Crow-Armstrong is the most capable of carrying a team. Regardless of how he’s hitting, his defense in center field and speed on the basepaths are elite. When he’s hitting, though, as he did in the first half last season and in Team USA’s WBC game against Italy, he’s one of the 10 or 15 best players in the game. Yes, he doesn’t walk enough. Yes, he strikes out too much. Those two qualities tend to be sticky. But if PCA can walk a little more and strike out a little less, suddenly you’re looking at a true do-everything player. And when everyone on a team is good, greatness, or even potential greatness, tends to stand out.”

Crow-Armstrong is going to be a significant factor this season after showcasing his abilities last season. He was able to be the NL Gold Glove winner at center fielder and ninth in the NL MVP voting. Crow-Armstrong posted a .768 OPS with 31 homers, 95 RBI, 91 runs scored, and 35 steals on 43 attempts over 157 games. As a result, his presence in the lineup and in the field will be significant to winning games for Chicago. It will be intriguing to see how Crow-Armstrong plays in the 2026 season and if he can improve on his 2025 campaign.

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The Chicago Cubs will be feeling pressure this season. Unlike the situation heading into last season, where the team was expected to contend, the expectations this year are that they will win, at the very least, the NL Central Division.

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Although they lost right fielder Kyle Tucker via free agency, they added three-time All-Star free agent Alex Bregman and traded for emerging powerhouse starter Edward Cabrera. They also restocked a depleted bullpen with four free agent relievers (Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, and Hunter Harvey).

With so many key additions and a returning core of talent from last season, the general feeling is that anything short of a division title and a deep playoff run will be seen as a major disappointment.

Cubs under pressure

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Karl Rasmussen of Sports Illustrated recently acknowledged that pressure by naming the Cubs one of the teams under the most pressure this coming season. While he placed them outside the “World Series or Bust” category, he did put them high atop the “Postseason Run Required” list.

Per Rasmussen:

“The Cubs are in a good spot as they look to win the NL Central for the first time since 2020. Chicago acquired Alex Bregman in the offseason and should be favorites to win the division, especially after the Brewers parted ways with Peralta. The Cubs made it back to the postseason last year, snapping a four-year drought, and fans will be expecting the team to be playing into October again this season.”

Expectations are running high this spring and everyone feels it, from the front office to the coaching to the players themselves, as well as the fans. Actually, the word “expectations” has been a running theme throughout spring training.

“Everybody in this industry wants expectations,” manager Craig Counsell told The Athletic. “You work hard to get expectations. You work really hard to build a roster that has expectations, you work really hard to get on a team that has expectations. That’s what we want. We’re truly excited we have expectations. It’s not easy to get them.”

Causes for concern

And while there are numerous reasons for optimism, there are also some glaring causes for concern.

Several Cubs had career years in 2025, such as Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, and Nico Hoerner. There’s no guarantee that they’ll replicate their successes this season.

There are legitimate durability and health concerns in their deep starting rotation. Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, and Edward Cabrera have a history of injury, while Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga spent considerable time on the IL last year. Returning ace Justin Steele, meanwhile, will be coming back from elbow surgery.

Then, there’s the bullpen, which is always a wildcard on almost every team. Closer Daniel Palencia had 80% of a great season last year as he came up from Triple-A Iowa to win the bullpen shutdown spot. But he faded late in the year, delivering two months of subpar performances which suggested that, maybe, the young arm was bending under the pressure.

On paper, the Cubs would appear to be a better team than they were at this time last season. But that’s certainly no guarantee of equal or greater success.

The pressure will definitely be on.

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The Chicago Cubs have put together a roster of players that are widely considered to be among the best at their respective positions. Pete Crow-Armstrong, their centerfielder, is certainly one of them. Last night, he almost brought Team USA back by himself in their 8-6 loss to Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic.

Chicago’s star outfielder hit two home runs in the losing effort.

Indeed, Crow-Armstrong has made quite the name for himself over the last couple of seasons, and now is considered among the absolute best centerfielders in Major League Baseball.

Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong named the second-best centerfielder in MLB

In their latest position ranking, Bleacher Report took a look at the best centerfielders in Major League Baseball. On their list, they declared that Crow-Armstrong is the second-best player at this position, trailing only Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners:

“PCA was a legitimate MVP candidate during the first half last season, posting an .847 OPS with 25 home runs and 27 steals. That dipped to a .634 OPS and six long balls after the break, but he still became the first Cubs player since Sammy Sosa in 1995 with a 30/30 season. If his offensive game ends up landing somewhere in the middle of those two extremes, his elite defense will make him a perennial 5-WAR player.”

On 2025, PCA hit .247/.287/.481 with 31 home runs, 95 RBI, and 35 stolen bases. As mentioned above, he became the first Cubs player since Sammy Sosa to have a 30-30 season.

His struggles in the second half of the season, though, were duly noted. If he is to truly become a MLB superstar, he will need to put together a solid season for an entire year.

Still, he did make his first National League All-Star team and was the NL Gold Glove recipient in centerfield last year.

Indeed, the sky is the limit for him.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs’ Cade Horton not worried after tough outing
• Cubs’ Ian Happ reveals sole focus as he heads into final contract year
• Cubs surprise roster projection has one surprise name

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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Chicago Cubs fans will get to see their All-Star center fielder, Pete Crow-Armstrong, get the start against Great Britain after Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton got hit by a pitch in his hand in the fifth inning with the bases loaded. The 2025 Gold Glove winner will bat ninth for manager Mark DeRosa.

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Crow-Armstrong came in to replace Buxton for the rest of the game on Friday and went 0-2 with two groundouts, while drawing a bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning to score his teammate, third baseman Alex Bregman.

Tarik Skubal is on the mound for @USABaseball tonight

: 8pm ET on FOX pic.twitter.com/tshIsb3nym

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 7, 2026

Chicago Cubs Pete Crow-Armstrong has a chance to shine in his first World Baseball Classic start

Getting his feet wet playing on Friday in the US’s 15-5 drubbing of Brazil, Crow-Armstrong has a chance to put on a show against Great Britain, who are 0-1 after losing to Mexico (8-2) on Friday. Crow-Armstrong and the USA lineup will face 31-year-old right-hander Tyler Viza, who has no major league experience, but has a 43-63 record with a 4.40 ERA in 816.0 innings in nine minor league seasons.

In 148 games against right-handed pitching last season, Crow-Armstrong batted .271 with an OPS of .838 and hit 24 of his 31 home runs off right-handers. Against left-handers, Crow-Armstrong was not great, batting .188 with an OPS of .593 in 109 games.

Crow-Armstrong can likely expect to play the whole game against Great Britain, with DeRosa likely to proceed with caution after Buxton got hit. If Buxton is good to play, he could likely come in as a late-inning switch if Great Britain brings in a left-hander to face Crow-Armstrong.

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Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong had a roller coaster year last season.

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The “ups” were really up. At the All-Star break, he had 25 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases – all while playing spectacular defense.

After making his first All-Star game (and as a starter), “PCA” experienced his “downs.” The rest of the way, he managed just 6 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 8 stolen bases, although his defense remained stellar.

It only stands to reason, then, that the experts don’t quite know what to make of the young star and can’t really wrap their heads around just how good he may turn out to be.

ESPN displayed that PCA confusion in their recent ranking of MLB’s top 100 players, where they placed the 23-year-old no. 22.

PCA’s ranking on ESPN Top 100 sparks debate

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The placement would make him the no. 8 outfielder in all of baseball and the no. 2 center fielder, behind the Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez

Per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers:

“The baseball world is wondering who the real PCA is. The easy answer is he’s somewhere between who he was in the first and second half of last season. Vowing to get on more this season, he will steal 50 bases and hit 20 home runs.”

Hitting 20 home runs and stealing 50 bases would make him an elite-tier asset, especially when one considers what he brings to the field defensively. There’s definitely an argument to be made, though, that he has a higher ceiling than that.

Crow-Armstrong has anguished over the poor finish to his sophomore 2025 season and is working on the mechanical and psychological tweaks needed to produce a more consistent 2026.

Working on 2026

“It’s definitely the swing decisions,” Crow-Armstrong recently told The Athletic. “I know what I do well. I know what I don’t do well. I know that I chase. I know I can get away with hitting bad balls and doing damage on bad balls, but there is no consistency there. It’s very sporadic.”

Calming down and avoiding the urge to press will be key to his success. That may come with maturity and continued experience.

For what it’s worth, new Cub Alex Bregman has been observing and is predicting good things for the coming season, telling PCA directly that he can see how the improvements will lead to less chasing of bad pitches.

“He’s so good already,” Bregman later told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “And he has so much potential. I think he’s going to have the best year of his career this year, for sure.”

To be fair, it’s actually quite impressive that Crow-Armstrong would be ranked as high as no. 22 after such an uneven season that trended downward as the year advanced. It’s a testament to just how much faith experts and analysts have in his abilities.

Other Cubs making ESPN’s Top 100: Nico Hoerner (55), Alex Bregman (61), Dansby Swanson (82), Michael Busch (86), Seiya Suzuki (92).

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The Chicago Cubs have one of the most talented rosters in all of Major League Baseball. They have young stars like Pete Crow-Armstrong and Moises Ballesteros, as well as veterans like Alex Bregman and Dansby Swanson. Making sure they have their team locked up, there are some talks about a contract extension for a beloved Cubs player. Let’s take a deeper dive into what we learned and why it could happen.

Pete Crow-Armstrong talks about contract extension talks

While making a recent appearance on Foul Territory, Crow-Armstrong would take a relaxed stance about a possible contract extension with Chicago.

“There will be talks, there have been talks. But at the same time, we’re not really in any rush to do anything. I’d like to keep it that way just ’cause I’m going to go out and play regardless… There’s bigger fish to fry right now than getting me paid.”

This is not the first time that the two sides have discussed a potential contract extension, as they have had talks ahead of the 2025 season. The former first-round draft pick is not arbitration-eligible until 2027 and not a free agent until 2031. However, teams have signed younger players to pre-arbitration extensions in the past in an attempt to get them in their prime years for a lower price.

Crow-Armstrong had a strong 2025 season as he posted a .768 OPS with 31 home runs, 95 RBI, 91 runs scored, and 35 stolen bases on 43 attempts. This performance would name him a National League All-Star, Gold Glove center fielder, and ninth in the NL MVP Award voting. It will be intriguing to see if this conversation continues throughout Spring Training or if this gets put on the back burner until another time.

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Chicago Cubs All-Star centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong made some inflammatory comments regarding Los Angeles Dodgers fans in an interview with Wayne Drehs of Chicago Magazine, calling them not “baseball fans.”

More News: Chicago Cubs infielder explains withdrawal from WBC

“I love Chicago more and more,” Crow-Armstrong says. “The people are great. They aren’t just baseball fans who go to the game like Dodgers fans to take pictures and whatever. They care.”

Crow-Armstrong grew up in Los Angeles, but his dad was a Cubs fan, doubled down his comments about Dodger fans in an interview on the “Foul Territory” Podcast.

“I didn’t really get a chance to back that statement up with that has nothing to do with Doc, that has nothing to do with Shohei, any of the players over there,” Crow-Armstrong said on the “Foul Territory” Podcast. “I love Mookie Betts; I look up to him like crazy. Freddie has only ever been great to me. If anything, those are the guys that have given those fans a reason to be fans. I grew up going to Dodgers games when they weren’t always good, when they had Mannywood pop up, but they (the fans) go in phases. All fans fight and stuff, but I remember putting the Giants fan in a coma. That stuck with me as a kid. Just little things. Sitting in the stands, just nasty stuff goes on. I didn’t always experience that at other ballparks. But like I said, that has nothing to do with who is on the field for them. I love playing against them, and I love what they’re doing right now, because they’re creating a dynasty, but I want to take them down too.”

An All-Star in 2025 because of his great first half, hitting .265 with an OPS of .846 and 25 home runs in the first 95 games, he failed to remain hot post All-Star break — hitting .216 with a .634 OPS and six home runs in the next 62 games.

Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Chicago Cubs won’t have to wait long to face the Dodgers

Crow-Armstrong won’t have to wait long for his comments to come back and bite him, as the Cubs will travel to Los Angeles for a three-game series from April 24-26. The only other time in 2026 the Cubs will play the Dodgers is in August, from Aug. 3 to Aug. 5 in Chicago.

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The Chicago Cubs are looking to improve upon their 92-70 record from 2025. As 2026 Spring Training continues, they come closer and closer, every day, to figuring out who will be on their Opening Day roster. Of course, there are several locks for the lineup, among them center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, one of the brightest young stars in Major League Baseball.

Even though 2025 was not his rookie campaign, Crow-Armstrong burst onto the scene as a future MLB superstar last season. He won a Gold Glove, was named a National League All-Star, and became one of the youngest players ever to post a 30-30 season.

And even though he had a dismal second half, ESPN’s respected insider Buster Olney placed him incredibly high on his top-10 center fielders list.

Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong is listed as second-best center fielder in baseball

Over the last few weeks, Olney has been putting out top-10 lists for each position in baseball. Today, he released his list of the best center fielders in the game. Crow-Armstrong came in second:

“His monthly offensive performance last season ranged from a nearly 1.000 OPS (.984 in July) to under .500 (.446 in August), but all the while, he was a plus-plus defender and baserunner who accumulated 72 extra-base hits (including 31 homers), 35 steals, 91 runs and 6.0 WAR.

“Cubs manager Craig Counsell suggested last season that PCA might be the best overall defender in baseball, and while Ceddanne Rafaela, Patrick Bailey and Bobby Witt Jr. each might have some claim to that title, Crow-Armstrong’s impact for his pitchers is undeniable. PCA’s acute splits vs. lefties and righties are a concern:”

Vs. right-handers: .271/.315/.523
Vs. lefties: .188/.217/.372

Clearly, Crow-Armstrong needs to improve how he fares when facing left-handed pitching. But he is still just 23 years old and has more development to do.

If he can put together a more consistent offensive season and cut down on his strikeouts, there is no reason to think he will not take over number one on this list in the future.

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For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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There may not be an offensive star with more potential on the Chicago Cubs roster than center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Already a Gold Glove winning outfielder, he has all the offensive tools to become one of the most complete players in the game. As he is still just 23 years old, he still has a great deal of learning and growing to do.

But what he has shown so far in his young career has been nothing short of impressive. A dismal second half aside last year, PCA still became one of the youngest players in the history of the game to post a 30-30 season.

His ceiling, indeed, is incredibly high, and analysts around baseball have taken notice of the star potential that he has.

Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong is the 5th-best player under 25

In a recent article in which he ranked the 25 best players under the age of 25 in Major League Baseball, Bleacher Report‘s Joel Reuter ranked PCA as the fifth-best:

“Pete Crow-Armstrong has wasted no time firmly establishing himself as one of baseball’s premier defensive players, and that serves as a strong foundation for an impressive but volatile offensive game.

“Despite a second-half slump and a sub-.300 on-base percentage, he still became the first Cubs player since Sammy Sosa to record a 30/30 season, swiping 35 bases in 43 attempts to go along with his 31 long balls.

“The fact that he was a 6.0-WAR player even with a .634 OPS during the second half and a paltry 4.5 percent walk rate speaks to just how high his ceiling could be with further refinement.

“In the worst-case scenario, he’s a perennial Gold Glove winner and 20/20 threat, and that’s a fantastic floor for a player who will turn 24 on Opening Day.”

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs All-Star’s fiery words could ignite rivalry with Dodgers
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For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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Chicago Cubs All-Star Pete Crow-Armstrong is one of the best young players in baseball and isn’t afraid to speak his mind. In a recent profile with Wayne Drehs of Chicago Magazine, the 23-year-old took some shots at the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans, saying that the people of Chicago are better “baseball fans.”

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“I love Chicago more and more,” Crow-Armstrong says. “The people are great. They aren’t just baseball fans who go to the game like Dodgers fans to take pictures and whatever. They care.”

Growing up in Los Angeles, Crow-Armstrong’s father was a Cubs fan. The Cubs didn’t draft Crow-Armstrong — the New York Mets did in the first round (19th overall) in the 2020 MLB Draft, and got traded to the Cubs in the deal that sent infielder Javier Baez and right-hander Trevor Williams to the Mets in 2021.

Pete Crow-Armstrong will get his chance to face the Dodgers early

Crow-Armstrong hit .247 with a .768 OPS and hit 31 home runs in 157 games last season. He also set career highs in RBI (95) and steals (35), but struck out too much (155). One of the focal points of the Cubs’ offense, Crow-Armstrong needs to have a great overall season, not just a great first half, for the Cubs to be successful.

Crow-Armstrong won’t have to wait long for his comments to come back and bite him, as the Cubs will travel to Los Angeles for a three-game series from April 24-26. The only other time in 2026 the Cubs will play the Dodgers is in August, from Aug. 3 to Aug. 5 in Chicago.

The goal of every team in the National League this season is to end the Dodgers’ reign as World Champions, and Crow-Armstrong’s comments will help fan the flames of the Cubs-Dodgers rivalry for this season.

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The Chicago Cubs have begun Spring Training and are busily figuring out what players will be included on their 2026 Opening Day roster. One player that is a certified lock is All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Fresh off winning his first Gold Glove and top-10 finish in NL MVP voting, Crow-Armstrong has all the makings of being the next face of the franchise in Chicago.

Granted, there are still improvements that he can make in his game, particularly at the plate where he has a propensity to strikeout at a high rate. That being said, he still had a 30-30 season in 2025, becoming one of the youngest players in MLB history to accomplish that feat.

Indeed, Crow-Armstrong has the potential to be a generational player, and to think the Cubs got him in a trade for Javier Baez.

The New York Mets must be haunted by trading Pete Crow-Armstrong to the Chicago Cubs

Crow-Armstrong was acquired by the Cubs in a trade with the New York Mets in June of 2021. They sent Javier Baez and Trevor Williams to New York to get him.

Last year, PCA hit .247/.287/.481 with 31 home runs, 95 RBI, and 35 stolen bases. Baez, meanwhile, only played 47 games for the Mets and hit .299/.371/.515 for them before heading off to the Detroit Tigers.

In other words, New York got less than half a season from Baez while one of their best former prospects, PCA, has emerged as a rising star under club control with the Cubs for years to come.

In a recent article in which he listed multiple trades that must haunt some franchise, Bleacher Report‘s Tim Kelly listed the Mets and the PCA trade:

“Crow-Armstrong—who can’t become a free agent until after the 2030 season—was traded by the Mets for half a season of Javier Báez in July of 2021. (The Mets did also acquire RHP Trevor Williams in the trade.) Báez actually did post an .886 OPS as a Met, but New York crashed and burned after the trade, finishing the season at 77-85.

“The Mets let Báez walk for a six-year, $140 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, which has proven to be a smart move. However, it makes giving up Crow-Armstrong a year after he was their first-round pick even more perplexing. Imagine if they had him in center field right now.

“Instead, the Mets are rolling the dice on Luis Robert Jr. in 2026, hoping that this is the year the former All-Star is finally able to stay healthy.”

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For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is most definitely not the only player to feel extreme stress and strain under major league pressure. He may be, however, the most open about it.

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Last season, the emerging superstar had a ton of ups and, unfortunately, a ton of downs.

At the All-Star break, he was killing it and stirring up MVP talk. He had already hit 25 home runs, had stolen 27 bases, and had driven in 71 runs– all while playing dazzlingly spectacular defense.

After making his first All-Star game (and as a starter, to boot), “PCA” fell off considerably. The rest of the way, he managed just 6 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 8 stolen bases, although his defense held steady.

The young talent showed his frustration, too. He flung helmets, kicked dirt, and just looked genuinely anguished over his extended offensive flat-line.

PCA opens up on stress and strain of big league life

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One of the things that makes the soon-to-be 24-year-old so endearing and engaging to fans is the fact that he wears his heart on his sleeve. It makes you want to cheer louder in his moments of triumph, but it also makes you feel his pain when things get bad.

“That’s the stuff that keeps me up. It’s never because I went 0 for 4 that I can’t sleep. It’s always because I’m embarrassed. Pissed and embarrassed,” Crow-Armstrong told Wayne Drehs in a recent profile piece for Chicago Magazine. “I don’t throw my stuff all around and spaz out to show people I give a shit. What it shows is that it’s something I still need to work on.”

Crow-Armstrong’s “spazzing out” may have kept him from pulling himself out of that extended second-half slump.

“What’s undeniable is that baseball is too hard to go out there every day and succeed,” Crow-Armstrong added. “That is for some reason the one thing I can’t yet rewire in myself. It’s harder than any mechanical change or anything that I’ve had to fix…

“I’m just lacking in that area. I’m a little late to get there. That’s about growing up and having the self-discipline to be a better teammate. I need to keep it present and forward-thinking instead of dwelling all the time on what I could have done better.”

A rough second half

But, in the last part of 2025, PCA did dwell. Getting inside his own head led to some mechanical issues in his swing and also some poor swing decisions as he pressed to get his groove back.

“It’s definitely the swing decisions,” Crow-Armstrong recently told The Athletic. “I know what I do well. I know what I don’t do well. I know that I chase. I know I can get away with hitting bad balls and doing damage on bad balls, but there is no consistency there. It’s very sporadic.”

So, this offseason, the focus has been on consistency and in settling down, both mentally and emotionally.

“He is one of the most competitive players I’ve ever been around,” Cubs assistant hitting coach John Mallee told Dreyhs. “He shows his emotions. He never wants to let his teammates down. So when he fails, he’s such a team guy and wants to win so bad he takes it out on himself.”

Strength in acceptance

The fact that we know all of this about Crow-Armstrong is not a testament to any sort of mental frailty or fragility, but, rather, a testament to his willingness to say these things that many young players wouldn’t. If anything, it’s a sign of maturity.

“I just want to be the best Cub I can be,” PCA wrote in a piece last September for The Players’ Tribune, in the midst of his struggles.

“And how do I do that when I’m not being the ballplayer I need to be?

“I’m workin’ on that. I promise…

“Because I know what it means to wear this jersey. I know the responsibility that comes with it. I have for a long time…

“I’ve got to give myself some grace. Stop trying to force it. Accept how I don’t have all the answers — I think it’s OK to do that.

“And I think that when the time comes, when those big moments come, you’re going to see the real ballplayer I am. And you’re going to see the type of Cub I want to be.”

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The Chicago Cubs got a “real” one when they got Pete Crow-Armstrong. Back in 2021, amid a mass sell-off of the team’s 2016 World Series roster, the Cubs traded away mega-popular shortstop Javier Baez (and pitcher Trevor Williams) for the 19-year-old center fielder.

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It was by no means a universally popular decision by new Cubs president Jed Hoyer.

Crow-Armstrong was an absolute darling of scouts and analysts, but he was so young and he had just come off season-ending shoulder surgery at the time. Plus, Baez was BAEZ, a Wrigley Field favorite and an explosive make-things-happen catalyst on both offense and defense.

But, ultimately, things worked out just fine for the Cubs.

PCA’s up-and-down 2025

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Last season, the sophomore “PCA” had an MVP-level first half which led to a starting center fielder slot in his very first All-Star Game. The affable and energetic emerging star handled the spotlight like a pro and his star rose even higher.

Then, everything sort of came crashing down to earth.

While his dazzling defense remained, his bat work fizzled. After coming into the All-Star break with 25 home runs and 71 RBIs, he only mustered 6 home runs and 24 RBIs the rest of the way.

The brutal fall from the pedestal was a source of immense frustration for the young star and it continues to motor his approach to the coming 2026 season, where he hopes to be more consistent in his offensive output.

All in all, though, PCA did hit 31 home runs, post 94 RBIs, and steal 35 bases while playing a Gold Glove center field.

An extension for PCA

That’s why people are talking extension when it comes to the team’s young asset, who is still under contract through the 2030 season. Although he rejected a contract extension offer early in the 2025 season, reportedly in the $70 to $90 million range, he’s been outspoken in his desire to stay in Chicago over the course of his entire career.

In an entertaining and revealing profile piece by Wayne Dreyhs for Chicago Magazine, the soon-to-be 24-year-old, who just moved into a new luxury condo in Chicago, talks about his sincere love for the city and the people of his adopted home town.

“I love Chicago more and more,” Crow-Armstrong says. “It’s just an incredible city. The people are great. They give a shit. They aren’t just baseball fans who go to the game like Dodgers fans to take pictures and whatever. They are paying attention. They care.”

“That’s one thing that is very cool about him that not a lot of younger players get,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner told Dreyhs. “He couldn’t have more of an appreciation for the history of the game and playing in Wrigley Field. He’s excited to be a part of the city of Chicago in a way a lot of guys don’t really understand.”

“I want to be here”

PCA claims his legit love of Chicago is happily coloring his willingness to agree on some sort of deal to stay there.

“I’ve made it clear I want to be here for as long as they want me,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I want what’s best for the team. I’m cool with being under team control and being here. League minimum ain’t too f**king bad.

“I play the game because I like beating other people. The money will be life-changing regardless. I would like to get a fair deal so I don’t f**k the market up. I want to look out for the other center fielders who have to go through the same process. Which is why I’m glad [Cubs management] and my agents are figuring out how to do this.”

But what would a PCA-Cubs extension look like? Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks was extended at eight years for $111 million and Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres took a nine-year, $135 million extension. It stands to reason, given his immense popularity as a Chicago sports staple and his marketability across the board, that Crow-Armstrong would get a fatter deal than either. Possibly, at least, in the $17- $18 million AAV range over 8-9 years, which would make the contract worth somewhere in the range of $136-$162 million and keep him in Chicago until he was 31 or 32.

The extension makes all-around good sense. If PCA does every year what he did in 2025, even with the mismatched output of the first and second halves, he’ll still be a steal at $18 million per season.

From the sound of things, the ball is pretty much in the Cubs’ hands when it comes to an extension. PCA seems fully invested in staying a Cub and succeeding as a Cub.

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The Chicago Cubs are one of the projected top teams entering the 2026 season. They have some major names on their roster, and they should be viewed as an upper-echelon team right now. While there are a handful of different players who could be the team’s leader statistically, there is one player who is expected to be just that. Let’s take a deeper dive into who it is projected to be and what they said about him.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is projected to lead the Chicago Cubs in WAR this season

The trio of Theo DeRosa, Brent Maguire, and Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru wrote an article projecting each team’s top player this upcoming season. For the Cubs, they selected center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and predicted him to record 4.7 Wins Above Replacement. Below is what they wrote regarding the young outfielder:

“In 2025, Crow-Armstrong put it all together with an incredible first half, hitting 25 homers and stealing 27 bases to go with fantastic defensive ability in center field — his +24 Outs Above Average were tied for the most in MLB. But a poor second half (.216/.262/.372 with only six homers) put a damper on PCA’s breakout season. Still, the Cubs outfielder put up 5.4 WAR and is projected to lead a talented Chicago club in ’26.”

Crow-Armstrong ended up having a spectacular season, making his first National League All-Star team, Gold Glove, and finishing ninth in the 2025 NL MVP voting. He finished with a .768 OPS with 31 home runs, 95 RBI, 91 runs scored, and 35 stolen bases while being caught eight times in 157 games. With the addition of third baseman Alex Bregman in their lineup, it allows players like PCA to be overlooked and for him to dominate. It will be intriguing to see how he performs during the 2026 season.

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The Chicago Cubs had a banner offensive year in 2025. One could even argue, especially over the first half of the season, that the offense carried the team to a great extent.

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It’s definitely not outrageous to say that the team’s outstanding start to the season– led by the offense– put them in a good spot to cruise to a playoff spot despite a not-so-outstanding last part of the season.

For about the first part of 2025, the Cubs’ offense was an absolute juggernaut.

The 2025 Cubs: On offensive juggernaut

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Pete Crow-Armstrong lit up the league with MVP-level numbers over the first half of the season, hitting 25 home runs, stealing 28 bases, and driving in 71 runs. Seiya Suzuki was on fire, posting 25 dingers by the All-Star break. Even Carson Kelly looked almost “Babe Ruthian” very early into the season, when he hit 6 home runs in a span of 46 at bats in March-April.

But there was even more.

First baseman Michael Busch had a monstrous sophomore season with 34 home runs and 90 RBIs. Shortstop Dansby Swanson upped his home run total by 8 over the previous season. Second baseman Nico Hoerner’s power numbers didn’t go up, but his batting average rose 24 points to .297.

Then, of course, there was right fielder Kyle Tucker, who had come over from the Houston Astros via trade to become the linchpin of the Cubs’ lineup, at least until post-All-Star break struggles made him more of a lineup liability.

Despite a fairly lackluster second half of the season (by comparison to the first half), the Cubs offense finished sixth in home runs (223) and fifth in runs scored (793).

A projected power outage for 2026

This coming season, though, analysts haven’t been kind when it comes to how the Cubs’ offense will fare.

Thomas Nestico of TJStats recently compiled a power projection that ranks Chicago eleventh in MLB team home run total for 2026. Nestico sees them finishing with a total of 198 homers, just ahead of the Houston Astros and in a statistical tie with the Philadelphia Phillies.

If that projection proves to be correct, it means the Cubs will hit 25 fewer home runs in 2026, something which represents a significant drop in long ball proficiency.

Nestico’s projection is just a composite number based on the average from five other projection systems (Steamer, ATC, The Bat X, ZiPS, Oopsy), but the numbers tell the tale of an offense seen as in regression. It should also be noted that none of the listed projection systems have the Cubs anywhere near their 2025 home run total, with the lowest projection being 187 and the highest at 205.

In terms of run production, Nestico hasn’t produced a composite projection yet, but the few available projections in that regard also aren’t kind to the Cubs. PECOTA, for example, projects 736 runs scored in 2026, down 57 from 2025.

The logic behind the pessimism

It all kind of makes sense, though.

Tucker was a non-entity over the second half of last season, but he still projects as a more potent offensive weapon than the incoming Alex Bregman. Meanwhile, Crow-Armstrong, Suzuki, and Busch are coming off career years and will likely see some more modest numbers this coming season.

None of this is to say that Chicago will have a bad year. The power and run production numbers still put them in the top half of baseball and are consistent with the tallies of postseason-bound teams.

It does mean, however, that the Cubs might have to push a little bit harder to get to last year’s total of 92 wins.

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As the Chicago Cubs prepare for Spring Training, the excitement is high for this season and the potential of a deep playoff run in the Windy City. The Cubs know that the top dog in the National League is the Los Angeles Dodgers, as they look for a three-peat.

The Cubs have the chance to compete with the Dodgers due to a very good rotation and a talented lineup. At the center of that lineup is Pete Crow-Armstrong who enjoyed a breakout year in 2025. Now, PCA is hoping to be a spark again this season and he decided to shake things up a little bit ahead of the campaign.

Crow-Armstrong was the cover for the newest edition of Chicago Magazine, getting a feature. In there, he took a shot at the Dodgers, well at least their fans.

Our March issue is on newsstands now! Check it out for a wide-ranging interview with Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong, The Power 50 list, and the hottest restaurants in the city. pic.twitter.com/YjofTYpXNj

— Chicago magazine (@ChicagoMag) February 19, 2026

Pete Crow-Armstrong praises Cubs fans but takes shot at Dodgers fans

As part of the feature, Crow-Armstrong talked about his struggles in the second half of the season. He then praised Cubs fans for supporting him while then taking a shot at Dodgers fans.

“It’s just an incredible city. The people are great,” he said. “They give a s—. They aren’t just baseball fans who go to the game like Dodgers fans to take pictures or whatever. They are paying attention, they care.”

Crow-Armstrong isn’t wrong, either. It’s also good to add a little spice between two teams who should be competing for the top spot in the National League this season.

It’s clear Crow Armstrong loves the city of Chicago. He’s out at numerous sporting events and hanging out with Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams as well. While Crow-Armstrong  is on his rookie deal still, he hopes to get a deal done to keep him here for the long term.

And the Cubs would be very smart to get that done.

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Of all the players entering the Chicago Cubs spring training camp, centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong will need to be his All-Star self for all 162 games to help the Cubs succeed.

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Batting .265 with an OPS of .846 and 25 home runs pre-All-Star break (95 games), he was not able to replicate that same level of performance after batting .216 with an OPS of .634 and six home runs post-All-Star break (62 games). With a fresh start heading into 2026, the Cubs Gold Glove centerfielder will look to be more “consistent.”

“If I hit 25 homers in the second half, I’m probably pretty freakin’ happy,” Crow-Armstrong said to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. “It doesn’t matter how I do it. I did what I did last year. It’s just about doing more of it next year. I don’t know how it’s going to happen. I don’t know how it’s going to play out. But it’s about the work I put in now. That’s fun to do.”

Overall, in 157 games, Crow-Armstrong batted .247 with a .768 OPS, but finished hitting over 31 (first 30 home run season) and 95 RBI (career high). PCA also showcased his speed, stealing 35 bases while being caught eight times.

Pete Crow-Armstrong comes into spring training with a new approach at the plate to help the Chicago Cubs succeed

Last season, the Cubs’ assistant hitting coach, John Mallee, noticed that Crow-Armstrong was overcomplicating his swing and was “out of his normal patterns.”

“Earlier in the year, all of his patterns were smaller,” Mallee said to Bastian. “His stride was shorter. His separation with his hands was shorter. And as the season grew, and he had a lot of success, he started to get out of his normal patterns. He started striding too far and getting a little too stretched out, which increased his swing-and-miss in the zone.”

Coming into this season, Crow-Armstrong made it a focus to get back to his normal routine, which now includes stepping up in the box. PCA’s new routine is so crafted that he’s counting the number of taps the bat hits his back shoulder.

“It’s just repping out the setup numerous, numerous times, so I can let the swing play,” Crow-Armstrong said.

With spring training games soon to begin, Crow-Armstrong will be able to see if these adjustments will help him get back to his All-Star form. Crow-Armstrong will also be able to see how well his new swing plays against live pitching, as he will be a part of Team USA for the World Baseball Classic.

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The Chicago Cubs made some significant waves this offseason. They made moves that, in other years and under different circumstances, would’ve been hard to fathom.

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After letting right fielder Kyle Tucker walk away without a struggle, for example, they signed free agent third base man Alex Bregman, who they made a play for last offseason. They spent big (5-years, $175 million) to get him, too.

They made another big splash when they traded for Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera, giving up their top prospect OF Owen Caissie, their no. 11 prospect INF Cristian Hernandez, and another infield prospect.

Before those two moves, they restocked their depleted bullpen with four free agent relievers, using a significant chunk of change to do so.

Big expectations for 2026

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With all these moves (plus the re-signing of Shota Imanaga and Caleb Thielbar), there are big expectations coming into this 2026 season. The Cubs are projected to win the NL Central division by every stats-based projection system. PECOTA, for instance, has them finishing in first place, almost ten games ahead of the second place Milwaukee Brewers, who won the division last year and even eliminated the Cubs from the NLDS.

Actually, the word “expectations” has been an early theme this spring training, thrown out by coaching, front office, and the players themselves.

“Everybody in this industry wants expectations,” manager Craig Counsell told The Athletic. “You work hard to get expectations. You work really hard to build a roster that has expectations, you work really hard to get on a team that has expectations. That’s what we want. We’re truly excited we have expectations. It’s not easy to get them.”

Similarly, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has talked about the high expectations coming into 2026.

“I know the expectations are high, which I think is great,” Hoyer said. “It’s what you want. The excitement in camp is palpable. The players are talking about it. The coaches are talking about it. They’re excited about our team. They’re excited about our group, both from a talent standpoint and from a camaraderie standpoint.”

From front office to coaching to players

Individual players have also used that “e” word as spring training kicks off, talking about the expectations created from stellar performances last season

“That’s the thing about the second year,” pitcher Cade Horton told media, looking back on an incredible rookie season that saw him deliver as, statistically, the best pitcher in baseball from the All-Star break to his season-ending injury in late September. “Now people have expectations. But the expectations don’t change for myself. I’m going to go out there and give my team a chance to win. That’s my expectation. Everyone else’s expectation doesn’t really have a say in how I go about my day.”

But, realistically, expectations do sometimes weigh heavily on people. When much is expected, the pressure gets amplified, especially if things don’t go all that well early on.

The pressure of outdoing the “best case” 2025 Cubs

Last season, the Cubs ran off to a tremendous early success that allowed them to stay afloat as a playoff-bound team through a less-than-stellar second half of the season. Guys like Horton, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Daniel Palencia, and Seiya Suzuki had career years. Carson Kelly was an offensive juggernaut over the first couple months of the season, but below league-average the rest of the way. Matthew Boyd pitched his first healthy season since 2019. Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz, now ex-Cubs, came out of nowhere to become bullpen anchors.

Everything seemed to fall in place last season.

This coming season, though, the Cubs are expected to perform better– and accomplish more– than last year’s “best case scenarios” team did. That’s real pressure. People expecting big things is a good problem to have. It means the front office did a good job of filling holes and getting pieces to their puzzle. But it also makes for some tough mental patches.

None of this is to say that the 2026 Cubs can’t or won’t outperform the 92-win 2025 Cubs. On paper, this squad is an overall better team in so many regards.

But to get to the same place they did last year, they’ll probably have to push harder and be more persistent. This season should be interesting.

The post The Chicago Cubs’ biggest 2026 battle may be internal– expectations appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs seem comfortable and secure in the fact that they’re all set for the 2026 campaign. Although they lost a couple of key components from last year’s squad– right fielder Kyle Tucker and surprise bullpen asset Brad Keller– there’s reason to believe that they’ll will be fielding an all-around better team this coming season.

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The biggest pickups this offseason were, of course, free agent third baseman Alex Bregman and emerging powerhouse pitcher Edward Cabrera, who came via trade from the Miami Marlins. They also, however, signed four free agent relievers (Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, and Hunter Harvey) to fully restock a depleted bullpen.

Then, there’s the fact that ace Justin Steele should be back in the rotation before mid-season, recovered from elbow surgery that cut short his 2025 after just four starts. Oh yeah, and Chicago will get a full year of rookie phenom Cade Horton, who was, arguably, the best pitcher in baseball from July 1 to the late-September rib injury that shut down his year.

Given all of that (and more), there’s a lot of optimism in Chicago about where they stand and how well they’ll do this coming season.

PECOTA is bullish on the Cubs

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And the expert analysts seem to agree with that optimism.

Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA (Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm) recently released their projections for 2026 and place the Cubs firmly atop the NL Central Division.

As of February 13, the respected projection system has the Cubs winning 89.7 games this coming season, a full nine games ahead of last season’s NL Central champs, the Milwaukee Brewers, and nearly ten games ahead of the third place Pittsburgh Pirates.

The reasons for that seem to be pretty obvious. Chicago’s additions make them a better team than they were last season while Milwaukee’s subtractions (Freddy Peralta, Caleb Durbin) would appear to make them a weaker team this coming season.

The failings of stats-based projection systems

It should be noted, though, that while PECOTA accurately projected the Cubs to finish with 91 wins prior to last season (they ended up winning 92), they had the Brewers finishing in second place, 11 games behind.

Stats-based projection systems never quite seem to account for the magic present in a team that works as a team and compels itself to be greater as a whole than the sum of its parts. The Brewers had that magic last season, riding a remarkable winning streak to finish five games ahead of the Cubs when the dust settled. It wouldn’t be wise to count them out again this coming season.

The PECOTA people aren’t the only ones picking the Cubs to take the NL Central. Actually, so far, pretty much all of those making projections for 2026 are going with Chicago. Fangraphs, for example, has the Cubs winning the division with 86 victories, three games ahead of the second place Pirates and 3.8 games ahead of the third place Brewers.

Reason for concern

Despite the consensus belief that the Cubs will take the NL Central, there’s legit reason to have doubt regarding the team’s ability to outperform last season’s squad.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, and Nico Hoerner all had career offensive years in 2025, but all of them, with the exception of Hoerner, faded to varying degrees down the stretch. There’s no guarantee than any of these players will do as well in 2026.

The starting rotation, although rightfully lauded for his its depth, is also full of pitchers with significant (and recent) history of injury.

Closer Daniel Palencia, meanwhile, fell apart in the last two months of the season after an eye-catching run from Triple-A to high-leverage shutdown specialist. He’s being put right back into the closer spot after that ugly ending to last season.

But, regardless, there IS reason to look at 2026 with hope. The numbers clearly support that positivity. Soon enough, we’ll know whether what statistically SHOULD be, WILL be.

The post Chicago Cubs projected to win NL Central by a ton, but… appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago sports scene has some rising stars who have developed friendships that makes it cool for fans who cheer for those teams. With Pete Crow-Armstrong having a breakout year for the Chicago Cubs in 2025, he’s becoming the face of the franchise. And he spent his offseason enjoying himself in Chicago, including attending multiple Bears games this past season.

In the process, Crow-Armstrong was able to build a friendship with Bears’ quarterback Caleb Williams. The two were spotted at a Chicago Blackhawks game and then a Chicago Bulls game a day later in January. The two were shown on the video board with a loud cheer from the audience.

Now, as the Cubs have reported to Spring Training, Crow-Armstrong spoke on his relationship with Williams and had a quote that should fire up Chicago sports fans.

Pete Crow-Armstrong makes confident statement about Caleb Williams

When asked about his relationship with Williams as the Cubs reported to Spring Training, PCA had this to say.

“He’s my guy,” PCA said of Williams. “It’s a nice relationship that we’re starting to build. Selfishly, it was fun for me to dive into the Bears season. We both hope and plan to be in Chicago for a long time, so it doesn’t hurt to get to know each other and build something. We want to keep the young guys together and connected somehow. That was kind of the start of it. It’s been a good start.”

"He's my guy … we both plan on and hope that we will be in Chicago for a long time."

PCA on his relationship with Caleb Williams pic.twitter.com/t4q8CIekCk

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 12, 2026

The young guys also include Bulls forward Matas Buzelis and Blackhawks star Connor Bedard. The four have become close as friends and are ushering in that new era of Chicago sports.

Now let’s hope all four teams can find more success this season in 2026.

The post Pete Crow-Armstrong and Caleb Williams ‘plan to be here a long time’ appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs have their team set for the coming season– a season where they are not only expected to win the NL Central Division, but also expected to make a deep playoff run.

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Barring some unforeseen injury or spectacular last-minute free agent signing (Zac Gallen), this is the team going to battle in 2026.

And the Cubs are especially happy with the major piece added to their squad this offseason– Alex Bregman.

The three-time All-Star third baseman was signed to an uncharacteristically bold (for the Cubs) 5-year, $175 million deal and positioned as a cornerstone of a Cubs team aimed at cinching in a culture of winning.

What Alex Bregman brings to the Cubs

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Aside from a plus-bat and Gold Glove-level defense, the 31-year-old Bregman brings a ton of intangibles revolving around his well-deserved reputation as a likable, approachable clubhouse leader. In a lot of ways, he brings to the Cubs what the colder and more reserved right fielder Kyle Tucker could not last season.

While Tucker’s bat is a tick above Bregman’s, Chicago needs more of what Bregman brings to the table, especially with so many veterans (Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga) potentially heading off into free agency at the end of the 2026 season. That’s why it’s hard to find anyone lamenting the Bregman-for-Tucker free agent swap.

But Bregman’s influence could prove to be especially important when it comes to one specific piece of the Cubs’ future plans.

Bregman and PCA

Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong plays the game like a man running through a burning building. All fire, explosion, and adrenaline, “PCA” is beyond entertaining to watch.

His all-out style, though, makes him a volatile, unpredictable offensive asset. Over the course of his short MLB career, it always seems to be feast or famine with the young mega-talent. Last season, for example, he had a first-half that screamed MVP (25 HR, 71 RBI, 27 SB, .265 BA) and a second half that had people wondering what happened (6 HR, 24 RBI, 8 SB, .216 BA).

The soon-to-be 24-year-old needs stability and some boring, ol’ predictability added to his game. He also needs a heaping helping of plate discipline. In other words, he needs someone like Alex Bregman in his life.

“I can tell you’re going to chase less,” Bregman recently told Crow-Armstrong, after looking over the young star’s mechanics and re-calibrated mindset.

“He’s so good already,” Bregman later told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “And he has so much potential. I think he’s going to have the best year of his career this year, for sure.”

PCA, much to his credit, has never shied away from taking advice and guidance from veteran teammates. Just days after it was announced that the Cubs had signed Bregman, he was already talking about his eagerness to pick the brain of the two-time World Series champ.

PCA as an eager student

Now, side by side with Bregman in spring training, he’s already speaking glowingly of the veteran’s influence.

“He’s excited to see my OBP go up and my swing rate go down,” Crow-Armstrong told media on Wednesday. “It’s everything that everybody else probably wants to see. But the way he talks about it is really cool…It’s a nerdy approach to hitting, but it’s never overcomplicated.”

“I can already kind of see it’s going to be really easy to apply my conviction and competitiveness into a real thought-out approach,” he added. “The guy has had .400 OBP years. He is probably someone you should listen to in terms of that. I just appreciate it when he can come in, and he’s not just picking apart my swing.”

While noting that the two don’t really have a similar playing style, PCA is still aware of how much of a learning opportunity is present when Bregman’s around.

“He just wants to see a little less from me, I think,” Crow-Armstrong said, referring to tighter mechanics and a more discerning eye when it comes to balls he swings at.

This Bregman-PCA pairing is a bromance that needs to be encouraged by the Cubs. No matter what Bregman does at the plate or on the field, he’ll be earning his money just by making those around him– especially Crow-Armstrong– better.

The post Chicago Cubs: Alex Bregman goes public with big expectations for PCA in 2026 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Last season, Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong emerged as one of the most exciting young stars in Major League Baseball. He rode a hot first half of the season to his first career NL All-Star nod. Additionally, he finished ninth in NL MVP voting and won a Gold Glove.

By season’s end, Crow-Armstrong had hit .247/.287/.481 with 31 home runs, 95 RBI, and 35 stolen bases, achieving a rare 30-30 year. As he and the Cubs turn their attention to 2026, the hope, of course, is that he continues to ascend and improve as a player.

One MLB analyst, though, does not think that will happen.

MLB analyst predicts Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong will regress in 2026

In a recent article posted by Bleacher Report, MLB analyst Joel Reuter named Crow-Armstrong as one of ten MLB hitters he believes will regress in 2026. While he points to PCA’s 2025 statline as a reason for optimism, he also claims his weak second half could be a sign of bigger problems:

“As good as that final stat line looked, there is no ignoring the fact that he hit .216/.262/.372 with just six home runs and a strikeout rate north of 25 percent after the All-Star break. Bottom-of-the-league marks in chase rate (2nd percentile) and walk rate (4th percentile) show his approach at the plate still needs significant refinement, and might mean those second-half numbers are closer to where expectations should land for 2026.”

The strikeouts are, indeed, a concerning part of PCA’s game. Last year, he struck out 155 times in 157 games played. But what made that stat even more alarming is the fact that he only walked 29 times last season.

There is no doubt that Crow-Armstrong can be one of baseball’s premier players. He has the power swing and speed to put up gaudy numbers year after year. But if he cannot stay patient at the plate and be more selective of his pitches, Reuter’s prediction has a good chance of coming true.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Former Cubs MVP sidelined again to start 2026 MLB season
• New Cubs star Alex Bregman sends 2-word warning to Dodgers ahead of 2026 season
• Cubs roll dice by signing 9-year veteran journeyman ahead of Spring Training

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs have a lot going for them as they head into the 2026 season. Jed Hoyer and the front office have filled in holes and fortified the roster to build upon the successes of a spirited 2025 campaign that saw them make it to Game Five of the NLDS.

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Topping the additions were the pickups of third baseman Alex Bregman and emerging powerhouse pitcher Edward Cabrera. They also restocked a depleted bullpen with four veteran free agent relievers and several next-tier depth pieces.

All in all, the Cubs seem to be in a good place when it comes to living up to the projections that have them winning the NL Central Division and making a deep playoff run.

But this IS baseball and anything that could go sideways MIGHT go sideways. And the Cubs do have some significant concerns for the 2026 campaign. Here’s a look at three areas of concern that should have the Cubs and their fans legit worried.

Injury

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Yes, injury is always a concern for any major league team. In the Cubs’ case, though, there’s reason to move from concern to worry.

For one, most of their starting rotation has significant history of injury.

Matthew Boyd was fortunate to not have run into any injury issues in 2025, but, prior to that, he had suffered through physical setback after physical setback since 2019. Some may say he’s due for an injury of some sort.

Rookie phenom Cade Horton and newcomer Edward Cabrera also have a history of injury throughout their young careers. Last season, Horton was shut down in September with a rib fracture while Cabrera had two stints on the IL with arm issues. Ace Justin Steele, meanwhile, is coming off elbow surgery and is slated for a mid-season return.

Even Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and swingman Javier Assad spent significant time on the IL last season.

When it comes to position players, Chicago was extremely fortunate in that none of the starters, except for Kyle Tucker, were put on the shelf due to injury. It’s almost a guarantee that they won’t be that fortunate this coming season.

Regression

The Cubs’ offense was overwhelming throughout the first half of last season. To a great extent, it was this first-half drive that motored them comfortably to their postseason berth.

Chief among the driving forces behind their offensive surge were the now departed Kyle Tucker and guys like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Carson Kelly, Michael Busch, and Seiya Suzuki– all players who had career years in 2025.

In 2026, there’s significant chance of regression from all of the above and also a reason to believe that starters Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner may deliver results just a bit below what they were able to achieve last season.

In the area of pitching, Daniel Palencia had an eye-catching season as he came from Triple-A to win the closer gig on the big league squad. His late-season fade, though, gives some cause for concern about his long-term viability in that role. This was, after all, his first sustained run at the major league level and also his first run at being a full-time closer. A gambling man might wager that the 25-year-old is due for a heftier ERA than his 2.91 last season (which was still under 1.90 heading into late August) and a tougher time keeping his gig as the Cubs’ full-time closer.

Catching

This is a very specific one, but it highlights, arguably, the biggest potential weak point on the roster.

Carson Kelly, offensively, had a career year in 2025, despite the modest .249 batting average, 17 home run, 50 RBI season totals. However, he had an outstanding first half of the season, hitting 12 of his 17 home runs and driving in 33 of his 50 RBIs before the All-Star break.

What he brings defensively and in terms of pitcher handling is a plus to the Cubs and worth him keeping his starting gig, regardless of his offensive production. But the picture behind him is not all that secure.

Miguel Amaya was good last season, in the little time he was actually healthy. Long, prolonged injury over multiple IL stints limited the 26-year-old to just 28 games and 103 plate appearances. And this, unfortunately, was not an unusual turn of events in the young catcher’s young career. Amaya has been injury-prone throughout his professional run.

Behind Kelly and Amaya, there’s Moises Ballesteros. Listed as, technically, the third catcher on the team, the rookie will be there entirely for his hitting prowess and not for a defense that can be generously described as a work in progress. Former Cub Christian Bethancourt was brought back to the team on a minor league contract, but if he gets the call-up, that means there’s big trouble with the catching situation in Chicago.

There’s plenty to be optimistic about as the Cubs head into the 2026 season, but it’s just statement of reality that the team is also counting on a lot of good fortune.

The post Chicago Cubs: 3 points of serious concern in 2026 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs have done a good job this offseason of filling holes and fortifying their roster in hopes of a deep postseason run.

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They added free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, traded for starting pitcher Edward Cabrera, and restocked a depleted bullpen with four free agent acquisitions. Even the bench has been strengthened with the move of sophomore former third baseman Matt Shaw to a utility role.

The one remaining area of concern was outfield after losing right fielder Kyle Tucker and trading away top prospect Owen Caissie in the Cabrera deal. The outlook seemed to be Seiya Suzuki in right, Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, Ian Happ in left and then question marks when it comes to backup.

Addressing the need for outfield backup

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Last Season, Happ and Crow-Armstrong, especially, appeared to wilt towards the end of the season after the lack of viable outfield reserves forced them to play nearly every inning of every game.

This year, the fourth outfielder spot has taken a back seat to more pressing roster concerns. Dodgers castoff Justin Dean was picked up. There’s also talk of Shaw possibly playing some outfield. The hope from within the organization, though, seemed to be that the Cubs’ no. 4 prospect Kevin Alcantara could make the move to full-time big league duty and fill that fourth outfielder spot.

The toolsy 23-year-Alcantara, however, had seemed to hit a wall last year in Triple-A Iowa with one MLB analyst, at one point, observing that the young talent’s development had “stagnated.”

Baseball America and MLB Pipeline both seemed to agree, dropping Alcantara from their list of Top 100 prospects.

Kevin Alcantara get unexpected vote of confidence

Senior baseball analyst Keith Law, in a recent piece for The Athletic, appears to strongly disagree with the view of Alcantara as a downward-bound prospect. He ranks the native of the Dominican Republic at no. 41 on his Top 100 prospects list, ahead of MLB.com’s top 3 Cubs prospects Moises Ballesteros (no. 47 in Law’s rankings), Jaxon Wiggins (unranked by Law), and Jefferson Rojas (no. 79 according to Law).

Per Law:

“Alcantara’s first full season in Triple A went reasonably well, as he hit .266/.349/.470 despite playing through a sports hernia for a good chunk of the season, still showing flashes of that big power ceiling with a max exit velocity of 112.3 mph. He struck out 29.8 percent of the time, but did improve some of his swing decisions over the course of the year, swinging less often in the second half overall and cutting his chase rate by four points, so there was progress in spite of the injury. He’s still lanky and has a lot of room to fill out, with enormous power upside. Presently, he’s a plus runner and defender…He’s got the most upside of anyone in the Cubs’ system, with the potential for 30-plus homers with plenty of doubles, strong defense somewhere in the outfield, and enough other offense to make him a two-way star, but has more risk than most of the guys ahead of him on this list. He’s also reaching the point where he’ll have to take a big leap forward on offense. He’s going to require a fourth option year if the Cubs want to send him to Triple A, and MLB will probably grant it, but even so it means the clock is ticking on his development…”

Alcantara’s tough road to the majors

Law’s high praise for Alcantara isn’t going to translate to an easier path to the majors in 2026. If anything, recent movements by the Cubs show that the team is not overly enamored with the possibility of the rookie, who only has 22 plate appearances over two brief big league stints, being a bench asset in 2026.

Chicago recently signed outfielders Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick to minor league deals and issued them non-roster invitations to spring training. The pair of one-time top prospects will compete with Alcantara and Dean for the fourth outfielder spot on the roster.

It’s possible the Cubs feel that Alcantara has a higher ceiling than any of the other backup outfielder options and would like him to spend another year in Triple-A, where he can develop further and gain more experience as an everyday player. With Happ and Suzuki eligible for free agency at the end of the coming season, a fully-developed Alcantara would be a real plus for a Cubs team in desperate need of a corner outfielder.

Whatever the case, Law’s assessment of Alcantara proves that it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to his chances of becoming a valuable big league asset at some point soon.

The post Chicago Cubs “stagnant” prospect gets surprising ranking in new Top 100 list appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs have had a very eventful offseason and, in a lot of ways, have changed the narrative regarding their ownership being irredeemably frugal and conservative with spending.

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They went out and pulled a daring trade for emerging power pitcher Edward Cabrera, dealing away three prospects, including no. 1 prospect Owen Caissie.

They signed free agent third baseman Alex Bregman to a 5-year, $175 million contract.

They also restocked a deplete bullpen with four new free agent relievers and several depth pieces below them.

All told, the Cubs spent over $220 million this offseason on acquiring new talent and re-signing holdovers from last season.

But the work’s not completely done for a squad that hopes to compete for a championship in 2026.

The last piece of the Cubs’ 2026 puzzle

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Maybe the biggest remaining question mark on the roster can be found in the outfield, one notch below starters Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Seiya Suzuki. To be precise, there’s pretty much nobody in the fourth outfielder spot who can spell the three starters and take their position in case of injury.

Currently penciled into that role is the 23-year-old Kevin Alcantara, who has played all three outfield positions in the minors. He hasn’t shown, however, an ability to play every day in the majors. The Cubs also picked up Dodgers castoff Justin Dean, who looks to be a no-bat, all-speed player. They’re also talking about using Matt Shaw as an outfield backup this season.

So, with an apparent willingness to spend and, also, a willingness to drift just above the luxury tax threshold, could the Cubs dip into the free agency pool once again for a quality fourth outfielder?

One more free agent this year?

Jake Misener of Cubbies Crib is pushing for the Cubs to sign the 39-year-old Andrew McCutchen for that role:

“Andrew McCutchen is universally loved – and that’s coming from a site dedicated to a team he’s had plenty of big moments against in his 17-year MLB career. At age 39, his best days are behind him. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have something to offer.

Last year with Pittsburgh, McCutchen slashed just .239/.333/.367, slightly below average in terms of wRC+ and OPS+, but still serviceable if you’re thinking of him as a veteran bench piece heading into 2026. The Cubs’ bench was abysmal last year and adding someone like the former 2013 NL MVP could, again, not only provide another veteran leader but also bolster the outfield depth.”

Pulling McCutchen from the Pirates

McCutchen, by all accounts, wants to remain with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the new-look Pirates, apparently, aren’t burning with desire to re-sign him. The mega-veteran has played the vast majority of his games recently at DH (120 in 2025, 113 in 2024), but he insists that he can still go out and play the field.

He even felt the need to recently jump on social media to defend his ability to still play defense against public statements claiming otherwise:

“It is really funny how so many ppl say I ‘Can’t(key word) play defense.’ I haven’t played much defense because they haven’t asked that of me. The only reason I played a few games last year is because Reynolds needed rest from a minor injury and I ASKED to play defense to get in the lineup. No one said anything then? Bottom line is if it is needed, I can not only do it, but do it like I’ve been out there all year. So stop creating false narratives and take your wives or GFs out to dinner and get off the coat tails of other men. That’s weird energy.”

McCutchen has played the last three seasons on $5 million-per-season deals. His price will likely drop a bit heading into 2026 after a season where he hit .239.

On the Cubs, he’ll get his wish to play the field again, albeit as a backup and/or emergency fill-in. He might also be able to return to postseason play for the first time since 2018, when he was with the Yankees.

Clearly, at 39, his best days are well behind him and the Cubs will be in trouble if he has to start more than a handful of games in the outfield in 2026. But he’s still got some pop from the right side of the plate and he has a wealth of experience, as well as a reputation as a great clubhouse presence. Why not grab him from an indifferent Pirates team?

The post Chicago Cubs encouraged to sign 5-time All-Star on the cheap appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs seem pretty much set for 2026. Roster holes have been filled and questions have been sorted out. The additions of Alex Bregman, Edward Cabrera, and four free agent relievers to restock a depleted bullpen have left fans satisfied that all the heavy lifting ahead of the 2026 season has been done.

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There’s still some fine tuning to be done, though, as the bench (especially at outfield) could be fortified and, as is always the case, there can never be too much pitching.

All in all, barring unforeseen injury or setback, the Cubs will confidently be going to war with the crew they currently have. Time will tell if it’s enough to get them to a championship or even to a deeper playoff run than last season.

But what about the future?

Cubs’ weak showing in Top 100 prospects list

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Baseball America’s recently released list of the Top 100 prospects in the sport doesn’t paint a very positive picture of the team’s future. In total, the Cubs only have two prospects in the top 100– C/DH Moises Ballesteros (no. 36) and RHP Jaxon Wiggins (no. 78).

The lack of Cubs representation shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise, considering the top-heavy status of the team’s farm system and the fact that many of their top prospects have graduated to the majors over the last two seasons (with Ballesteros likely to make the big league squad this season and a possibility of Wiggins doing so at some point in 2026 as well). There’s also the Cabrera trade with the Miami Marlins, which featured former Cubs top prospect Owen Caissie.

Chicago did, however, have three prospects named among Baseball America’s “20 MLB Prospects Who Just Missed The 2026 Top 100” (SS/2B Jefferson Rojas, OF Ethan Conrad, and OF Kane Kepley). OF Kevin Alcantara and 1B Jonathon Long also got at least one vote apiece from the publication’s rankings panel.

The outlook for the future

Still, the Cubs’ dearth of high-level prospects and a thinning out of the previously deep Triple-A class has to be troubling for the big-picture. Some of the draining of the farm system can be traced to trades for Kyle Tucker and Edward Cabrera the last two seasons, which cost the team no. 1 draft pick Cam Smith and projected major league starting right fielder Caissie. At the trade deadline last season they dealt their Nos. 13 and 14 prospects, SS Ronny Cruz and OF Christian Franklin, to the Washington Nationals for swingman Michael Soroka, who was injured and IL-bound just two innings into his Chicago debut.

The scary part for the Cubs is that the lower levels of the organization look to be even thinner in talent than the thinned-out Triple-A level.

But…on the bright side…

Not everything, though, is as “doomy and gloomy” as it may appear to be on paper.

The Cubs are stacked with 20-something talent at the major league level that should be around for years to come, such as Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Cade Horton, Daniel Palencia, Matt Shaw, Miguel Amaya, Cabrera, and Ballesteros. Wiggins, meanwhile, might just be a tweak away from making the big league roster. There’s time to restock the farm system with savvy draft selections and imported prospects via trade.

If they somehow find themselves out of contention this season, it’s a guarantee that they would move at least some of their veteran talent on expiring contracts (like Jameson Taillon and Nico Hoerner) for choice prospects.

But while there’s no need to worry too much about the Cubs’ immediate future right now, the front office does needs to focus on refilling a farm system well that has been pumped almost dry.

The post Chicago Cubs face harsh reality via Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are riding a wave of good energy as they move towards a 2026 season full of positive expectations.

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For the first time in a long time, the team went out and checked off all the “must have” boxes by acquiring free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, trading for starter Edward Cabrera, and fully rebuilding a depleted bullpen.

All this Cubs positivity is also linked with the great energy generated by a resurgent Chicago Bears franchise that, despite a tough overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, has captured the hearts and minds of Chicago fandom. That link between the two teams became concrete when the news of Bregman’s signing broke just as the Bears were making a miraculous comeback against the Green Bay Packers in their Wild Card game.

Pete Crow-Armstrong and Caleb Williams on the town

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The Cubs-Bears bond was further sealed when the two young faces of the reinvigorated Chicago franchises, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Caleb Williams, were caught on video at Monday’s Chicago Blackhawks game, cheering on the home team and mugging for the camera like the 23, 24-year-olds that they are.

PCA x Caleb Williams front row at the United Center tonight just feels correct
pic.twitter.com/nzqMwKGDUg

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) January 20, 2026

PCA’s two tales of 2025, focus for 2026

Crow-Armstrong had a rough end to a 2025 season that began with nothing but highlight reel spots for the sophomore talent and his first All-Star Game appearance.

At the All-Star break, “PCA” was hitting .265 with 25 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases. The rest of the way, though, he hit just 6 home runs, drove in 24, and posted a .216 batting average. His .185 batting average in postseason play was also a low point.

The multi-tool talent plans on getting back to his roots as a player in 2026 and, offensively, focusing more on the fine points of getting on base.

“I still don’t think I consider myself a home run hitter,” Armstrong said in a Cubs Convention interview with 670 the Score. “Power hitter, maybe, only because of the doubles. But, again, I don’t really view myself that way. I’m still 6-foot, 190 lbs, you know. I’m not a very imposing figure out there…

“I think I still have the ability to go hit .290 and do a little bit better job of that OBP [On Base Percentage] number, because that’s what it always was, growing up in Southern California, bat-to-ball, get on base, really learning how to play the game…That’s only hard to do now because of how good everybody is up at this level…I think there’s a lot of ways to get back that version of myself…and I think the power will still be there with all that.”

PCA-Caleb: A growing power-bromance

What PCA doesn’t have to work on, however, is his ability to connect with Cubs loyalists and Chicago fans in general. He seems to legitimately love the city and the city seems to love him back– as evidenced by the loud roar at the United Center when Bears quarterback Williams directed the camera towards him.

The budding PCA-Caleb bromance began a while ago, but was affirmed when the Cubs center fielder promised to be on hand to support Williams and the Bears at Soldier Field against the Rams.

“Caleb’s the man,” Crow-Armstrong told media at the time. “We don’t know each other that well at this point, but he’s been very supportive of this team and me, specifically, since he’s been out here…

“It’s only right that I dive right in and go support our franchise quarterback because he’s a special talent. But then I think what we’re getting to see as we play deeper into the year is how good of a player he is. I’m proud to follow suit and hopefully take on some role like that eventually.”

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The Chicago Cubs went out and got their man. Finally. The signing of third baseman Alex Bregman, announced on Saturday night in the heat of a historically awesome Bears-Packers playoff game, was equal parts shocking and tremendously well-received.

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In the Bregman deal, the Cubs signed off on a 5-year, $175 million contract which, in and of itself, is pretty surprising given the team’s recent spending trajectory. Especially surprising was the fact that the Ricketts family ownership agreed on a contract using deferred money, something which they had steadfastly refused to do in the past (including in their failed bid to sign Bregman last offseason).

By all accounts, Chicago was uncharacteristically aggressive in getting the three-time All-Star on board, reportedly swooping in from the back of the “interested” line, behind the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks, to get their man.

Why the Cubs were “all in” on Bregman

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Part of that, of course, is due to the fact that Bregman is a really good, multi-faceted player. An elite contact hitter who averages 28 home runs per 162 games, he matches the career offensive stats of outgoing right fielder Kyle Tucker and will fill the lineup hole created by his departure. He’s also a top-notch defender at third, with a Gold Glove award in 2024 to prove it.

However, a big motivating factor in the Cubs going “all in” on Bregman (and bucking standard business operating procedure to do so), may lie in what the team sees in their immediate future.

Chicago is facing an absolute tidal wave of departures after the 2026 season as multiple contracts are set to expire. Barring extensions signed during the season or activated options, here are the players headed toward free agency:

Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
Nico Hoerner
Matthew Boyd
Jameson Taillon
Shota Imanaga
Carson Kelly
Colin Rea
Caleb Thielbar
Hoby Milner
Jacon Webb
Hunter Harvey
Tyler Austin

The mass exodus of talent after 2026

That’s thirteen players– half of their 2026 projected 26-man roster. Any way you look at it, this represents a huge degree of uncertainty as the veteran core of the team may be gone after next season. The loss of Hoerner, Happ, Suzuki, Boyd, and Taillon will hit especially hard as they make up a good part of the team’s heart-and-soul nucleus.

Fears of that kind of loss are probably what compelled the Cubs to get very un-Cubs-like in going after Bregman.

The 10-year MLB veteran is known for his leadership qualities and character, doused in praise by both teammates and coaching during his time with the Houston Astros as well as his one-year 2025 run with the Red Sox. One couldn’t find better cornerstone leadership for a soft rebuild.

The Cubs, realistically, may lose all thirteen of their free agent-bound veterans. Even in a best case scenario, they stand to lose at least ten of the thirteen.

That’s why securing Bregman was approached with such urgency. Nobody in the deep end of this year’s free agent talent pool provides the intangibles that Bregman does.

The impending mass exodus after 2026 is also also likely why the Cubs were okay with spending so freely.

Laying the foundation for a new Cubs team

With the potential departures, about $130 million could also be coming off the books. Signing a proven asset to what amounts to a $30 million-per-season deal (after deferrals) is not so mind-boggling when one looks at the Cubs’ big picture.

After the coming season, the core of the team will skew young– and cheap– with Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Cade Horton, Matt Shaw, Daniel Palencia, Moises Ballesteros, Miguel Amaya, and possibly top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins earning at or near league minimum. Even veteran holdovers Justin Steele, Javier Assad, and now Edward Cabrera or on relative cheapo deals.

Chicago will have a huge opportunity to reshape their major league roster after next season– and lots of money with which to do it. But they need a sound, steady foundation laid before that.

Alex Bregman stands to be a key part of that foundation. And the Cubs were willing to spend handsomely to make that happen.

The post Chicago Cubs: Why Bregman signing is harbinger of big changes ahead appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong finally broke out this past season, smashing 31 home runs while playing otherworldly defense en route to his first All-Star appearance and a Gold Glove.

With Crow-Armstrong preparing to enter his third full big-league campaign, a contract extension seems almost imminent, especially considering the Cubs attempted to extend him last year but were turned down because the former top prospect decided to bet on himself.

It proved to be a wise decision for Crow-Armstrong, who significantly increased his value after a very disappointing rookie campaign in 2024.

The general consensus is that Chicago will revisit extension talks with the 23-year-old soon, and it could happen as promptly as spring training. But would the Cubs be making a mistake to lock up Crow-Armstrong at this point?

Chicago Cubs are facing serious risk with a Pete Crow-Armstrong extension

We know that Crow-Armstrong plays brilliant defense. He is one of the best outfielders in baseball, registering a plus-15 DRS and plus-21 OAA in 2025. But what about his offense?

Yes, the former New York Mets prospect — who was traded to Chicago in the deal that sent Javier Baez to the Mets back in 2021 — flashed serious power and drove in 95 runs this past year, but his .247/.281/.481 slash line was mostly uninspiring.

Outside of the power numbers, Crow-Armstrong showed serious deficiencies at the plate, and it should also be noted that his power absolutely plummeted during the second half of the season when he posted a .372 SLG.

What’s odd about the Sherman Oaks, Ca. native is that he posted a decent walk rate in the minor leagues, getting on base at a .368 clip. But it should also be noted that Crow-Armstrong managed just a .299 OBP in 26 games at Triple-A Iowa in 2024.

Crow-Armstrong is definitely a free swinger, having totaled 155 strikeouts and just 29 walks this past season. Those are very concerning signs for a young hitter, and he also fanned 12 times in 29 playoff plate appearances in 2025 (while posting a .399 OPS).

There should be no rush to extend Pete Crow-Armstrong

So why the rush to extend him?

Crow-Armstrong is under team control through 2030. I understand the temptation to buy out his arbitration years now, but what if the Cubs hand him a massive contract only to watch him fall flat in 2026? He was far too inconsistent in 2025 to merit a lucrative long-term contract just yet.

The youngster definitely provides value based on his defense alone, but Chicago wouldn’t just be paying him for defense. He turned down $90 million before last season. Crow-Armstrong is looking to get paid, and he simply has not shown enough at the dish just yet to warrant such an expensive deal.

Cubs fans definitely grew to like Crow-Armstrong over the last nine months, but there should be considerable trepidation about their team potentially handing the former first-round pick an enormous contract extension before next season even begins.

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The Chicago Cubs have gotten off to a slow start to the MLB offseason. While they have made the move to sign free agent relief pitcher Phil Maton, no high-impact moves have been made.

Fans have started to grow a bit frustrated. After Dylan Cease went to the Toronto Blue Jays and the report came out that the Cubs had been involved but weren’t willing to pay enough, it felt like another offseason of late swings and misses. However, it still sounds like Jed Hoyer and company want to be aggressive.

Chicago has been linked to quite a few potential targets in free agency. A few of the names the Cubs have been connected to include Alex Bregman, Ranger Suarez, and Michael King. There are plenty of other names they could target as well.

While bringing in outside pieces is always a must, Chicago also has some players it could choose to extend. One of those players is none other than rising star outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

During the 2025 MLB season, Crow-Armstrong finally started showing some of the elite potential that he possesses. He has turned into a fast-rising star in Major League Baseball.

Throughout the course of the year, the 23-year-old center fielder played in 157 games. He hit 31 home runs to go along with 95 RBI, while slashing .247/.287/.481.

Clearly, those numbers show areas that need to improve. Crow-Armstrong has to get on base at a higher level. His speed on the bases could be a massive help for the Cubs, but he needs to get there first.

Giving Crow-Armstrong an extension now would make a lot of sense. He’s obviously a big piece of the future and Chicago could get ahead of the game and lock him up to a long-term team-friendly contract. If he is able to come out and improve upon his numbers from 2025 in 2026, his price tag would skyrocket.

Of course, this is just an idea at this point in time. No reports have come out about the Cubs aggressively pursuing an extension with Crow-Armstrong. But, it would not be shocking if that is something Hoyer and the front office look into.

Expect to hear a lot of rumors and reports surrounding Chicago in the coming days and weeks. The Cubs are not terribly far away from being a serious World Series contender. Crow-Armstrong is a big part of that and making sure that he sticks around long-term would be a wise decision.

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The Chicago Cubs had a disappointing end to their baseball year, going down in Game 5 of the NLDS to the Milwaukee Brewers after battling their way up from a 0-2 deficit in the series. But the season, as a whole, was a positive, filled with pleasant surprises.

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Among those pleasant surprises were a handful of young talents who emerged as high-end major league assets.

23-year-old Pete Crow-Armstrong, specifically, earned acclaim as a superstar-in-the-making as he showcased his multi-tool ability. Before the All-Star break, he had already crushed 25 home runs and had notched 71 RBIs, while stealing 27 bases, as he displayed an almost superhuman defense in center field.

Cade Horton started 2025 as the Cubs’ top pitching prospect, regarded as at least one year away from being major league-ready. Pitching injuries in early May led to him being brought up from Iowa much sooner than expected. The then-23-year-old performed solidly and impressed with his poise and confidence. Then, he blew up and became truly dominant. With a 1.03 ERA in 12 starts after the All-Star break, he earned recognition as the best pitcher in all of baseball during that stretch, until a rib injury ended his season in late September.

From pleasant surprises to harsh realities

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PCA and Horton were just two of several other pleasant surprises in 2025.

But, if projections are correct, a storybook 2025 may give way to some harsh reality in 2026.

FanGraphs’ Steamer projections paint a picture of widespread regression among Cubs’ stars, but the outlook is especially dismal when it comes to the team’s young talent.

Crow-Armstrong, for example, is projected to finish 2026 with his power numbers way down from last season, forecast to finish the year with just 20 home runs and 64 RBIs. His projected .251 batting average is just a tick higher than his .247 average in 2025.

Horton is projected to have an even more prodigious fall from grace with an 8-9 record and 4.33 ERA in 2026 after an 11-4, 2.67 ERA rookie season.

Other reality checks?

First baseman Michael Busch, who affirmed his status as a big league star with 34 home runs on 90 RBIs last season, is projected to hit just 24 dingers with 65 RBIs in 2026.

Nico Hoerner, who many feel is the Cubs’ best second baseman since Ryne Sandberg, performed well all season, but was especially red-hot down the stretch and in the playoffs. In 2026, FanGraphs projects him to hit .284, thirteen points below his .297 mark last year.

Daniel Palencia, who came up from the minors early in the season and earned his spot as the team’s closer, is projected to finish 2026 with a 3.61 ERA following a 2.91 ERA in 2025.

Chicago Cubs are downward-bound across the board

This predicted downward-bound trajectory is not just among the team’s young stars. The analytics company has targeted everybody as due for regression in the coming year. Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Dansby Swanson, and Ian Happ are all projected to have diminished power numbers. Pitchers Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Jameson Taillon, meanwhile, are all predicted to have significantly elevated ERAs from their 2025 showings.

Third baseman Matt Shaw is actually the only Cub projected to have a better year in 2026. That improvement, however, is minimal– a .242 batting average over 2025’s .226, with 15 home runs versus last year’s 13.

It should be pointed out that while FanGraphs’ projections are generally regarded as one of the most accurate and reliable projection systems around, they are not infallible. Their Cubs projections ahead of the 2025 season, for example, were similarly conservative, bordering on pessimistic. (They projected PCA with just 20 home runs, for example).

However, there’s plenty of food for thought in FanGraphs’ numbers. Crow-Armstrong probably isn’t as good as his first-half performance last year and certainly not as bad as his second-half showing. There’s also the question of how much an absent Kyle Tucker will diminish the collective offensive effort. On the pitching side, there’s reason to believe that Horton, Boyd, and Palencia overperformed and are due for a more humbling season this coming year.

As is always the case, time will tell. March/April is still a long ways away.

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The Chicago Cubs may soon be trying to tap a dry well when it comes to their farm system. If recent movements regarding former Cubs top prospects are any indication, there’s reason to believe that the team’s developmental system– formerly regarded by many as one of the best in baseball– might be facing some serious issues.

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Buried in Wednesday’s news of qualifying offers and protected prospects was the news that three once highly-regarded Cubs-developed prospects were DFA’d from their respective teams.

Christopher Morel, who held promise as a bat-first run producer, was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays after barely cracking the Mendoza line with them in a little under one-and-a-half seasons after coming in the trade that sent Isaac Paredes to Chicago. The pop that he occasionally showcased was not enough to overlook a .208 batting average over 154 games and the fact that he was utterly hopeless, defensively, anywhere he played.

One-time top outfield prospect Alexander Canario, who came to Chicago from San Francisco in the Kris Bryant trade, was DFA’d by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Former infield prospect Luis Vazquez, meanwhile, was designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles.

Chicago Cubs farm system: Tapped-out and/or overrated?

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While three former prospects losing their roster spots is not necessarily an indictment of an entire farm system, it does possibly indicate that the Cubs have been off in assessing their own talent and, maybe, guilty of overvaluing what they have in the minors.

Recent farm system imports Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Cade Horton, Daniel Palencia, Migual Amaya, and Matt Shaw may tell a different tale, but there’s no denying that, right now, the Cubs’ system looks tapped out. With Moises Ballesteros and Owen Caissie likely to get a shot at every day major league play in 2026 and Kevin Alcantara in a use-him-or-lose-him spot as a prospect without major league options, the system looks especially thin at the Triple-A level, which was recently the strength of the organization.

A dearth of pitching prospects

Also troubling is the fact that there’s an absolute dearth of high-end pitching prospects throughout the farm system. Aside from Top 3 prospect Jaxon Wiggins (no. 67 prospect in all of MLB), nobody profiles as a true impact arm within near-reach of the majors. Per MLB.com, Wiggins and Brandon Birdsell (no. 9) are the only pitchers listed among the Cubs’ Top 12 prospects (and the Cubs, on Wednesday, opted to expose the injury-prone Birdsell to the Rule 5 Draft by not adding him to their 40-man roster).

On a recent edition of the North Side Territory podcast, Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes talked about the Cubs’ disappointing run of pitching development and the inherent problems of an organization not developing their own pitching talent.

Per Pontes:

“They need to start targeting more upside and figuring out how internally they can then turn those upside traits into actual skills and production. For a team like this that’s been lacking in pitching, I think it’s something that’s really, really hurt them.”

Always hunting for pitching bargains

Simply put, teams that don’t develop their own pitching will pay a steep price for it when/if they are in position to contend for a championship. In the case of the Cubs, who aren’t open to spending big money for pitching via free agency, president Jed Hoyer and the front office will constantly be burdened with having to find bargain arms and reclamation projects for short-term fixes.

If Ballesteros and Caissie stick at the major league level and take up spots at DH and right field– joining Crow-Armstrong, Busch, Amaya, and Shaw as every day position players, the Cubs will be fielding a young team on a comparatively small budget (with money to possibly spend on pitching) and may be alright despite a tapped-out farm system.

But the future comes fast and something has to be done soon to rebuild what was once a deep and well-regarded farm system.

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The Chicago Cubs and rising star outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong are entering an offseason where they reportedly are reopening contract extension discussions. Per league sources, Crow-Armstrong turned down a deal worth $90 million last Spring, and after winning a Gold Glove award and notching his first 30/30 season, it appears his gamble on himself will work out in his favor.

Furthermore, Crow-Armstrong’s play and energy has caught the attention of Mark DeRosa, who is the Manager for Team USA’s 2026 World Baseball Classic Team. Recently, DeRosa extended an invite for Crow-Armstrong to be on the team next Spring, and Crow-Armstrong accepted.

Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong will be on Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic

According to Mark Feinsand at MLB.com, DeRosa and Crow-Armstrong discussed the possibility of him being on Team USA during last summer’s home run derby. An official invitation was sent during the off-season, and Crow-Armstrong did not hesitate to accept, saying “I love playing for my country more than anything. Getting to play for you (DeRosa), getting to play with Cal, Corbs, Mr. Judge; it’s going to be great.”

At the same time Crow-Armstrong’s acceptance was announced, it was also revealed that Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll will be on the team. This makes Crow-Armstrong, Carroll, and Aaron Judge as the only three confirmed outfielders on the team. As the winter progresses, more announcements regarding the roster will be made.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic takes place during Spring Training, in which players temporarily leave their organization’s camp and activities in order to compete in competitive games on a National Stage. This year the event is scheduled to run March 5-17.

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Last spring, the Chicago Cubs offered a contract extension to outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Depending upon the source, the deal was for upwards of $75-90 million. Now with a Gold Glove, and 30/30 season underneath his belt, the sides are set to reopen contract negotiations this winter.

The Chicago Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong will reopen contract negotiation talks this winter

The post With the clock ticking, Cubs-PCA to reopen contract negotiations appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs’ 2025 season has to be seen as an overall success. They made the playoffs for the first time since the abbreviated 2020 season and won their first postseason games since 2017.

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Although their postseason run ended on a sour note with a Game Five loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS, the team did manage go further than many thought they would. They took the Wild Card Series from the San Diego Padres and battled back from an 0-2 deficit in the series with the Brewers before being eliminated.

As they labored through the playoffs, however, it became obvious that their clearly defined weaknesses would eventually be their downfall.

First and foremost among team weaknesses was pitching depth, both in the starting rotation as well as the bullpen.

Chicago Cubs: Building a championship bench

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A secondary weakness, though, was the Cubs’ bench, which was a weak spot all season and forced the team’s starters to work themselves to the bone with little to no rest over the course of the year. Specifically, people have blamed the second-half decline of Pete Crow-Armstrong on the fact that he was tasked with playing almost every inning of center field play over the first part of the season.

With that in mind, the Cubs need to focus on the building of a bench that is more than the window dressing it was in 2025, burdened with a 40-year-old Justin Turner who couldn’t really play any position, a revolving door at third base, and no viable fourth outfielder or backup middle infielder for most of the year.

Chicago needs to take their bench seriously if they want to be in a position to make a serious playoff run, especially with Kyle Turner likely to be gone and the likelihood of regression from those who had career years in 2025.

Fortunately enough for the Cubs, there will be several quality bench players available via free agency who should be obtainable at a reasonable budget-friendly price.

Acquiring a quality utility infielder

Paul DeJong, at least on the surface, appears to be the most perfect of fits for the Cubs’ needs.

The veteran has played with six different teams over the course of his 9-year career and can play all four infield positions. He’s hardly a defensive superstar, but he’s adequate everywhere he plays. He also brings good pop from the right side of the plate, although his 6 home runs in an injury-hampered 2025 with the Nationals and a general downward trend in production may say otherwise. In 2024, he hit 24 home runs with the White Sox and Royals.

In terms of money, he should be a relative steal. He’s projected to go for a one-year deal at somewhere between $1 and $2 million. Slotted into the Cubs’ roster, he could be a reasonable backup to Matt Shaw at third and an occasional sub for Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Michael Busch at the three other infield spots.

If DeJong can’t be had, the Cubs could go after quality utility men Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Kike Hernandez, or Jorge Mateo, all right-handed bats who can play multiple positions. Hernandez and Mateo can also play some outfield. If Chicago wanted to be really daring, they could even roll the dice on former White Sox starter Tim Anderson, who’s fallen on hard times but still may muster some juice on a last-chance contract with the North Siders.

A fourth outfielder

When it comes to the outfield, the Cubs definitely need a legitimate fourth outfielder who can spell the three starters without too much of a drop off. Kevin Alcantara just may not cut it in that role. A post-Kyle Tucker right field left to Seiya Suzuki and rookie Owen Caissie may need special reinforcement.

The Cubs might be wise to target a veteran like Starling Marte for the fourth outfielder slot.

Marte made over $20 million in 2025, in the last year of his contract with the New York Mets. At 37 and after three consecutive injury-ridden seasons with downward-trending production, the 14-year veteran won’t be getting anything close to that as a free agent in 2026. Spotrac estimates his market value at about $7.8 million and that’s probably being a bit generous.

The Cubs could also kick the tires on Michael A. Taylor, another former White Sox player who could fit in nicely on the bench. The 12-year veteran will be 35 by opening day, but he can still play all three outfield positions, run a little, and can occasionally surprise with the long ball. In 2023, with the Minnesota Twins, he hit 21 home runs in 388 plate appearances.

It’s easy to overlook the bench when putting together a team. The Cubs can’t afford to do that again if their goal is a deep playoff run in 2026.

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The Chicago Cubs kind of knew that they were getting something special when they acquired a 19-year-old Pete Crow-Armstrong from the New York Mets at the 2021 trade deadline. They just really didn’t know HOW special he’d be.

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On Sunday, it was announced that the 23-year-old whirlwind had won his first Gold Glove award, along with teammates Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ, who took their second and fourth honors, respectively. “PCA” is also in serious contention for the Platinum Glove award, recognizing the best overall fielder in both leagues.

“It’s great,” Crow-Armstrong told MLB.com, when asked for comment. “I think having the defense recognized is important to me, because of the story that that tells.”

PCA has been a beyond-elite Chicago Cubs defensive asset

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In many eyes, the sophomore’s defensive award was pretty much a foregone conclusion since early in the season.

PCA’s defensive prowess from day one was dazzling and it quickly became the backbone of an elite Cubs defense, as Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had observed.

The kid got to everything and if he did look less than stellar on rare occasions, it was almost certainly on a batted ball most other outfielders wouldn’t have even been able to catch up to. The cold, hard stats support the case for PCA being beyond elite in the field.

Numbers tell the tale

He finished the season with 24 Outs Above Average (OAA), per Statcast— the second most of all-time since the stat has been tracked– tied for first in all of baseball with shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. He led the NL with 22 runs prevented. He topped all MLB fielders with a 95% success rate. He also made 19 5-star plays (plays with a 0-25% catch probability), registering a 59.4 percent success rate that was far and away the best in baseball when it came to those high-difficulty catches.

Crow-Armstrong’s postseason defensive accolades are a nice finishing touch on a 2025 season that could be described as bittersweet for the young talent.

Triumph through the struggles

A dominant offensive first half led to him making his first All-Star Game and it generated a lot of attention for what was believed to be the emergence of a legendary talent.

By the Midsummer Classic, he had 25 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases. Afterward, an extended slump dimmed his shining star a bit. After the All-Star break, he only managed 6 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 8 stolen bases. He would finish the season with a meek .185 batting average and .399 OPS over the Cubs’ two playoff series.

PCA was feeling the struggle, too, as evidenced by the thoughtful piece he penned for The Players Tribune at the end of the regular season.

“I’ve lost some of that [feeling of fun] in the second half of this year,” Crow-Armstrong wrote. “And I think it’s sort of like a chicken-or-egg thing. Am I not having fun because I’m not hitting, or am I not hitting because I’m not having fun? I know, right now, the work isn’t paying off for me. I’ve been talking to Nico [Hoerner] about that a lot lately. He’s the most methodical, hardest working guy I’ve ever been around. And he’s locked the f*** in. Always…I love this game more than anything. I want to be great more than anything. I mean that s***. But I think what Nico has, that I don’t yet, is the ability to ride the lows, to stay cool and calm, and trust the work, even when it’s not paying off.

“I’m working through all this because I don’t want to be in this spot any longer. I think if I can be the Pete who loves this game with all his heart, who is there for the guys in the clubhouse, who can get up and be a voice in the dugout even when he’s 0-for-whatever, that Pete will find a way to step into the box and get a result.”

A Gold Glove (and possibly a Platinum Glove) represents a good closing chapter to the storybook of this past year. For 2026, the focus will be on delivering more consistency over the long haul of a draining season. PCA won’t be 24 until late March. He’s definitely ahead of the learning curve.

The post Chicago Cubs: PCA’s Gold Glove tops off roller coaster 2025 breakthrough season appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs will never be accused of being reckless with their money. There was a time when the owning Ricketts family could be cajoled into spending some money. But that was when their baseball acquisition was pushing for a championship and then looking for a second one.

These days, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts fills public appearances with laments of merely breaking even and seems more focused on luxury tax thresholds than World Series trophies. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer runs the team according to the constraints put on the operation, gambling on deals with rebounding second-tier talent, possible foreign imports, and full-on rehabilitation projects.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Bold moves needed ahead of life without Kyle Tucker

Hoyer has done well working within the limits put on him. However, the end target always seems to be a team just good enough to compete, but just shy of being an elite club bulging with elite talent (that requires elite money).

Paying PCA

More News: Chicago Cubs are going young, like it or not

That team mindset will soon enough come crashing up against reality when it’s time to really pay center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Some might even say that the Cubs’ buying strategies these next couple years will have a lot to do with what “PCA” may demand when he becomes free agency-eligible in a few years.

The frugal Cubs ownership may shy away from spending as soon as this coming season, anticipating contracts for PCA (and Cade Horton) down the line and likely hammering out a new labor agreement in 2027. That possibly means Chicago will no longer have Kyle Tucker because they will need to pay PCA.

The 23-year-old is not a finished product on the field right now. His drastic second-half fizzle last season was concerning and it speaks to the inconsistencies of youth. His first-half dazzle (25 home runs, 27 stolen bases by July 10), however, speaks to what he could be. We shouldn’t overlook that he is an extremely charismatic and marketable presence who puts butts in seats and moves a lot of merchandise.

Chicago Cubs prepping for monster PCA payout

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report is predicting that Crow-Armstrong will be due for a contract in excess of $250 million when his time comes.

Per Miller:

“We know darn well he is an elite defender, quite possibly headed for the NL’s Platinum Glove…At the very least, PCA is going to secure the first of what should be many Gold Gloves.

But whether he’s an elite center fielder who consistently bats like Julio Rodríguez or like Myles Straw over the next few years is going to dictate whether he gets paid accordingly.

Considering he hit .295 and slugged .515 in the minors, the inclination is to believe the first 92 games were more legitimate than the latter 65. If so, the current Cubby who will be 28.5 years old if and when he gets to free agency at the end of 2030 will be gearing up for a mammoth payday.”

Still a work in progress, though

“In totality, [Crow-Armstrong] had a great year. Going 30/30 and driving in almost 100 runs,” Hoyer told reporters during his year-end season recap press conference. “He was so good early on, and then he struggled. And this is his first full season, and that’s something I talked to Pete a lot about over the course of the year. This is the first time he has gone through an entire season.

“There could have been some fatigue there that set in, and going forward, I think he’s gonna have to shrink his strike zone and he’s gonna have to focus on those things. But I think he will. He’s still 23 years old, he’s still learning. So I expect him to keep getting better and better…I have no question that he’ll continue to get better.”

“I think he’s the best defensive player in baseball,” Hoyer said.. “Not only did he have a huge role on our team offensively, but when you think about run prevention, he’s right there at the top of it.”</p>

For what it’s worth, Crow-Armstrong seems to legitimately love Chicago and the fans. Even after turning down a $75 million extension offer early last season, he enthusiastically expressed his desire to remain a Cub for the foreseeable future.</p>

But money is money and PCA’s outlook will definitely change by 2030, when he’s 28 and looking to acquire some generational wealth via the open market for his efforts. If he gets significantly more consistent, that $250 million contract could grow to $400 million or more.

Like it or not, Cubs ownership only seems amenable to one big-money contract per team generation– and Crow-Armstrong’s will probably be that contract.</p>

The post Chicago Cubs: PCA contract projection may mean cheaping out on Kyle Tucker appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs had a lot of pleasant surprises this past season. From the bounce back of starter Matthew Boyd to the growth of Pete Crow-Armstrong to the breakthrough of closer Daniel Palencia, there was a lot to be happy about in 2025.

More News: Chicago Cubs 2026 free agent rumors showcase the team’s worst instincts

One of the most pleasant surprises of the season, however, was the emergence of Cade Horton.

The 23-year-old came to the big leagues as a bit of an emergency measure, called up after Shota Imanaga went down in May with a hamstring issue. He wasn’t expected to stick around. The Cubs’ own coaching staff was cautious in reminding people that the team’s top pitching prospect was still very much a work in progress.

But Horton was remarkably solid through his early major league run. Then, he morphed from steady to spectacular.

Cade Horton wins publication’s Rookie of the Year honors

More News: Chicago Cubs are going young, like it or not

Following the All-Star break, the rookie earned distinction as, arguably, the best pitcher in all of baseball with a 1.04 ERA over 12 starts. From July 9 to August 13, his 28.1 scoreless innings streak affirmed his excellence.

Overall, he went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 23 appearances (22 starts).

To acknowledge his outstanding season, The Sporting News has named him 2025 Rookie of the Year.

A late season fractured rib took robbed Horton of the ability to pitch in the postseason, but his impact is widely acknowledged among teammates and coaches.

“It’s no surprise when he takes the ball for us and he’s able to do what he does,” Cubs catcher Reese McGuire told reporters. “His confidence, with how young he is and being in this league, getting the experience, he’s impressing a lot of people here.”

“There’s just an attack mentality with quality pitches,” manager Craig Counsell also said. “It’s fun to watch, man. It’s been a really, really impressive start to a Major League career. He’s doing a heck of a job.”

And while Horton was winning his awards, the team as a whole got one of its own.

Chicago Cubs win “Defensive Team of the Year” award

The SIS Fielding Bible awarded the Cubs their inaugural Defensive Team of the Year award.

Per The Fielding Bible:

“The Chicago Cubs are our inaugural Defensive Team of the Year winner. They ranked second in the majors and led all NL teams in Defensive Runs Saved.

The Cubs were the only team to have a positive Runs Saved total from eight of the nine defensive positions (all but right field).

They had the MLB leader in Runs Saved at second base (Nico Hoerner, who won the Fielding Bible Award) and the runner-up in center field (Pete Crow-Armstrong). They also had the No. 3 left fielder (Ian Happ), and the No. 3 pitcher (Matthew Boyd), as well as the No. 4 third baseman (Matt Shaw).”

As mentioned above, Nico Hoerner would take the second base fielding honors as an individual. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ, Matthew Boyd, and Matt Shaw would also place highly as runners up.

A focus on evergreen assets

This particular honor speaks highly of the way this team has been constructed by Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer.

An emphasis had been placed on evergreen team assets that could help the team win even when the offense and/or pitching aren’t necessarily firing on all cylinders. Defense, base running, fundamentals, chemistry, and work ethic have all been focal points when assembling this team.

In that regard, the efforts have definitely paid off.

On any given day, the Cubs could’ve started at least seven or right Gold Glove-caliber players on the field– something which helps the pitching staff immensely and eases the burden from the bats.

The focus will be the same in 2026, as Chicago may need to cook up a solid plan B should right fielder Kyle Tucker be lured away in free agency.

Overall, though, things look steady when it comes to defense, as well as Cade Horton’s mound future.

The post Chicago Cubs pitcher, defense win big honors appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs got really close to making it to the NLCS this year. The team showed grit, gumption, and the ability to battle back from adversity in their two-series playoff run. They also showed the strength of character to excel in the face of some real roster-related limitations.

More News: Chicago Cubs tied to Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal in fantastical trade scenarios

One would assume that getting so close to next-level postseason success, burdened by some easily identifiable roster holes, would make the objective obvious for 2026– fill those holes with the best available talent.

The Cubs certainly have the money to go out and do that via some veteran high-end free agent acquisitions. They also have the trade capital in their farm system to pull off a deal for an established impact player.

They won’t do either, though.

Chicago Cubs business as usual– Go cheap and hope for the best

More News: Chicago Cubs’ first order of business: Get these young players extended

Limited by the owning Ricketts family’s frugal ways, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer will once again have to rely on “best available at the right price” talent rather than simply “best available” talent when it comes to acquisitions.

Or, better yet for the always budget-minded Cubs, he’ll be filling as many roster holes as possible with young, cheap talent from the minors while crossing his fingers and hoping for the best.

A perfect example of this will be at right field and designated hitter.

There should be very little doubt at this point that Kyle Tucker will soon be an ex-Cub. With Chicago balking on a contract as rich as $400 million over 9-10 years, they will look to replace him with existing roster players on the cheap.

Seiya Suzuki will likely be shifted back from DH to right field full time. The 21-year-old Moises Ballesteros will then be moved into the DH slot, with Cubs top prospect Owen Caissie finding some playing time at right field in a platoon with Suzuki or as insurance to Ballesteros at DH. Then, when Suzuki and Ian Happ are allowed to walk after they become free agents at the end of next season, Caissie will be given the full-time right field or left field gig as the front office hopes and wishes him to be ready.

Jed Hoyer and pleasant surprises

“That’s the lifeblood of baseball today. You have to have good, young players,” Hoyer told media at last week’s end-of-season press conference. “I think those are the guys that have real upside that can surprise you, and have great years — even beyond projections. So I consider Moises and Owen in that group. And I think their futures are really bright.”

Hoyer and company have regularly mentioned pleasant surprises and players outperforming expectations as crucial elements to the Cubs’ success. At this point, it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that this president of a major market ball club would still be talking up what essentially amounts to luck as a key component to the team’s success.

Rookie Cade Horton shocked and awed the baseball world with his second-half dominance last season. Pete Crow-Armstrong did the same with his first half dominance. Third baseman Matt Shaw went from a flop to serviceable over the course of the season. First baseman Michael Busch took a huge step forward in his second full season as an everyday player. Reliever Daniel Palencia was an eye-opening revelation right up until his late season fizzle. Ballesteros, meanwhile, pretty much proved that he could handle big league pitching, albeit in a pretty small sample size of at bats.

What’s in store for 2026

This upcoming season, they’ll be counting on Caissie being major league ready and, possibly, on top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins being the Cade Horton of 2026. They’ll also be looking for some of the Triple-A arms to help round out a bullpen that will have to be almost completely restocked after they let at least 5 or 6 relievers drift away into free agency.

And, while ‘going with youth’ is not necessarily a bad thing, the real reason behind a conservative offseason will center more around budget considerations than fielding the best possible team with the resources available to them. In 2026, after getting so close to an NLCS berth in 2025, it’s very possible that half the Cubs’ 26-man roster will be at-or-near the league-minimum salary.

That’s a huge win for Cubs ownership, regardless of whether the team actually wins or not.

It also means that, once again, there were will be little margin for error when it comes to the on-field product and that success will be predicated on players outperforming expectations.

It would be nice, though, to occasionally make the team guaranteed-better by adding a great player who is a sure thing to be a great player. Well, they had that with Tucker, but…

The post Chicago Cubs are going young, like it or not appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs finished the 2025 season with a hefty dose of disappointment, but also a lot of positivity around which they could build hope for better tomorrows.

More News: Chicago Cubs president appears to be doubling down on failed 2025 strategy

Making it to Game Five of the NLDS was beyond most expectations and, with a relatively young team being fielded, it gives one hope that there are better and brighter days ahead.

That’s why Cubs president of baseball operations needs to pressure the Ricketts family ownership to get some important contract extensions done right now.

“My hope and expectation is that we’ll have extension talks with a number of players this offseason,” Hoyer told reporters in his end-of-season press conference last week. “My hope and expectation is that you never find out about it. But, yes, we have a number of players we’d like to keep long-term and we’ll have those conversations.”

The move to extend some young talent is logical, both in the fiscal sense as well as in a baseball sense. With Kyle Tucker likely to be lost via free agency this winter and players like Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, and Carson Kelly set to hit the free agent market after next season, it’ll be important to secure a young, solid base as the foundation for a winning future. Moves like that would also create some security ahead of a likely 2027 lockout and restructuring of the collective bargaining agreement between owners and players.

But who should the Cubs extend and for how much?

Nico Hoerner should be first on the list

More News: Chicago Cubs: Why the Cubs need to be watching the Philadelphia Phillies this winter

Second baseman Nico Hoerner, who will also be eligible for free agency at the end of next season, needs to be first on that list.

The 28-year-old had a career year in 2025 with a .297 batting average and Gold Glove play at second, but has been consistent through his major league run. It could be said that he willed his way into becoming the Cubs MVP throughout the second half of the season, but especially during the heat of the pennant race and in the postseason, where he batted .419 through the two series. He is steady, consistent, and has proven himself to be a spark plug for an offense that desperately needs sparks of ignition. He already easily ranks as the best Cubs’ second baseman since Ryne Sandberg.

Hoerner had already signed a 3-year, $35 million extension before the 2023 season, covering 2024 to 2026. His next deal, as theorized by Matthew Trueblood of North Side Baseball could be a 5-year, $105 million deal with the possibility of it becoming a 6-year, $120 million deal, keeping him in Chicago until his age-34 year.

PCA and Busch are “must-extend” assets

Pete Crow-Armstrong is a no-brainer for a Cubs extension as well.

Despite the 23-year-old’s late season fizzle, he showed what he had the potential to do on multiple fronts of the game. Even when not hitting, PCA is a linchpin to the Cubs’ outfield defense and a real game-changer with his speed. Plus, to be business-practical, the guy is a charismatic field presence that helps sell tickets and move merch. The Cubs had already tried to get him to bite on an extension reportedly worth $75 million for an undisclosed number of years, but it was turned down. Their next offer needs to be more aggressively generous to keep PCA beyond the 2030 season.

Thoughts are that such an extension could fall in the range of $135 million to $190 million over 9 or10 years, which would still be a bargain relative to his overall worth.

Another young player in need of an extension right now is first baseman Michael Busch.

The 27-year-old sophomore proved himself to be one of the elite-tier first baseman in the sport with a monster season in just his second full year at the position. He finished 2025 with 34 home runs and 90 RBIs while placing in the MLB top three among first baseman in slugging percentage (.523), home runs, OPS (.863), and triples (5)– all while playing Gold Glove-level defense.

Busch is a keeper and should be treated as one. Right now he’s an extreme bargain at just about $750K per season and he won’t be eligible for free agency until 2030. Cutting a deal now to get past arbitration and free agency would be wise. Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Blue estimates that such an extension could result in a 5-year, $70 million deal that would become a 6-year, $25 million deal with an option tacked on at the end.

Also in consideration…

There are other young Cubs who could be the subject of extension talk.

Pitcher Cade Horton, for example, showcased some wildly elite-level stuff, especially over the second half of the season. His small body of work and injury history, though, make him an extreme risk when it comes to extension talk.

Daniel Palencia was a revelation last season as the Cubs closer, until his somewhat-collapse at the very end. There could be some chatter about an extension, but the Cubs generally don’t go all-in when it comes to relievers. In this case, they would be right to shy away from one with Palencia.

Third baseman Matt Shaw proved that he belonged in the major leagues after a shaky start to his rookie year. His defense turned out to be much better than anticipated and his hitting started to come around as he put more at bats under his belt. He’s still not a sure-thing starter, though, and it would be an odd business move for the team to extend the 23-year-old work in progress.

All in all, securing the contracts of Hoerner, Crow-Armstrong, and Busch would help establish a young base for a championship run, alongside Horton, Palencia, Shaw and incoming young talent such as Moises Ballesteros, Owen Caissie, and Jaxon Wiggins.

If the Cubs wait on doing this, things could get quite a bit more expensive for them and, possibly, cost them these players as well.

The post Chicago Cubs’ first order of business: Get these young players extended appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs, all things considered, had a pretty nice run this past season. Obviously, things could’ve ended in a better way than a Game Five elimination in the NLDS at the hands of the division rival Milwaukee Brewers. But if we’re stacking 2025 up against 2024, this season was clearly a significant upgrade.

A big part of the team’s early success this year was sophomore star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

The 23-year-old “PCA” took the baseball world by storm early on in the season with a crazy rush of offense and highlight reel defensive exploits in the outfield. His youthful appearance and refreshingly enthusiastic demeanor won fans over and helped him achieve start status in his first-ever All-Star Game.

PCA’s early brilliance and late fizzle

At the break, Crow-Armstrong was well on his way to breaking some Cubs records, hitting .265 with 25 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases.

Then, things just kind of died out.

After the All-Star break, he hit .216 with only 6 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 8 stolen bases.

Frustration bubbled over several times for the young star as he just simply could not break too far away from his offensive doldrums. In his first playoff run, he hit just .185 in eight games with no home runs and 3 RBIs.

Chicago Cubs president talks PCA’s inconsistent 2025

On Wednesday, in a season wrap-up press conference, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer talked about the inconsistency of PCA’s confounding season.

“In totality, [Crow-Armstrong] had a great year. Going 30/30 and driving in almost 100 runs,” Hoyer told reporters. “He was so good early on, and then he struggled. And this is his first full season, and that’s something I talked to Pete a lot about over the course of the year. This is the first time he has gone through an entire season.”

The veteran exec would go on to offer a possible reason for the weak second half and some hope for the coming year(s).

“There could have been some fatigue there that set in, and going forward, I think he’s gonna have to shrink his strike zone and he’s gonna have to focus on those things,” Hoyer continued. “But I think he will. He’s still 23 years old, he’s still learning. So I expect him to keep getting better and better…I have no question that he’ll continue to get better.”

Even without a raging bat, though, the young talent remains an asset and a big part of the Cubs’ future.

“I think he’s the best defensive player in baseball,” Hoyer added. “Not only did he have a huge role on our team offensively, but when you think about run prevention, he’s right there at the top of it.”

PCA’s future with the Cubs

The positive feeling on PCA was so strong heading into this season that the Cubs reportedly tried to reach an extension deal with him in early April, worth in the neighborhood of $75 million.

Crow-Armstrong turned it down, but would remain open to the idea of remaining a Cub for the rest of his playing days.

“That’s the goal,” Crow-Armstrong said in a June radio interview, referring to his desire to stay with the organization. “I think what’s important to me is being somewhere I feel convicted in winning at. And then obviously where I feel comfortable playing and living for a long period of time.

“I absolutely think that Chicago is a place to do that for me. I already take so much pride in being a Cub, and what comes with that. Any way that we can get me here for a while, I think, would be ideal.”

With the team possibly losing right fielder Kyle Tucker to free agency this offseason, the Cubs will need PCA to become a more consistent offensive presence in the lineup, one who will be able to contribute earlier in the batting order. They’d also like to have him locked up, contractually, beyond the 2030 season, when he’ll be eligible for free agency. A deal now will most definitely be an attractive budget option for the always-frugal Cubs ownership.

Make no mistake about it, Crow-Armstrong is still a work in progress as a big league talent. There’ll be no room for growing pains next season, however, as the Cubs will have greater need for him to step up as an on-field leader.

The post Chicago Cubs exec on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s struggles: “He’s gonna have to focus” appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs have a lot of work to do this offseason to fix their roster, which failed to get them past the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Division Series.

The failures of the pitching staff showed during the series, as the Cubs and manager Craig Counsell turned to a bullpen game in Game 5, which hopefully will lead to them finding someone to pitch behind Matthew Boyd.

The one thing that didn’t fail the Cubs this season was their defense. One of the best in Major League Baseball, the Cubs have six finalists for the Gold Glove award, with two previous winners.

The Chicago Cubs have six finalists for the Gold Glove award

In a division (the National League Central) that features two of the top teams in baseball for defense, the Cubs have the most players to finish as a finalist for the Gold Glove award, with starting pitcher Matthew Boyd, left fielder Ian Happ, second baseman Nico Hoerner, rookie third baseman Matt Shaw, centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, and catcher Carson Kelly all receiving the honor.

Your 2025 @RawlingsSports Gold Glove Finalists. pic.twitter.com/bV64rOY2w6

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 15, 2025

Happ is a three-time winner (2022-2024), while Hoerner has one (2023) under his belt. Boyd, Crow-Armstrong, Shaw, and Kelly have never won the award before in their careers.

The Cubs should build on their defense moving forward

The Cubs could explore signing and trading for players to boost their defense and prevent runs, especially with the pitching staff they currently have, as defense is quickly becoming a barometer for teams to be successful.

With the Cubs’ unwillingness to spend big, signing players like Jose Iglesias, who is a defensive first player, but has a good bat, could be an option for the Cubs this offseason.

The post The Chicago Cubs have 6 finalists for Gold Glove award appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs’ 2025 season has come to an end. With the 3-1 loss to the division rival Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night at American Family Field, the Cubs have been eliminated from the NLDS. They will have to move on to thoughts of next year as the Brewers move ahead to face the Dodgers in the NLCS.

Despite the loss, it’s hard to come away from this year with feelings of failure.

Prior to the season, hopes centered around simply making the playoffs and accounting well for themselves once there. Baseball Prospectus projected 90.6 wins for them. In the final 2025 tally, the Cubs won 92 games in the regular season, beat the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series, and then battled back from a 0-2 deficit against the Brewers in the best-of-five NLDS to force a Game Five.

There was plenty to criticize in this particular playoff run, like the team’s woeful 5-for-40 mark with runners in scoring position throughout the postseason and the 4-for-27 mark in the NLDS. Saturday’s series-deciding loss stung especially hard because of how tremendous the team looked in the previous two games.

But, all in all, 2025 was better than most anyone could’ve imagined last offseason.

After the tough defeat, the Cubs ruminated on the sweet and sour of this season. They expressed their disappointment and their love for one another, as well as their heartfelt belief that the Cubs fan base deserves more and better from them.

Craig Counsell provides perspective

“I think it’s the five games we played at Wrigley Field in the playoffs kind of tells you what means so much to it,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “I think it meant so much to our players to do that, to provide that for our fans. And that’s what you do: You honor the uniform; you honor the place. That’s like not the results goal, but that’s always like what our job is to do, is to do those two things.

“And we did that. We didn’t get it done today, and that hurts. Man, it doesn’t feel good, but I think when you zoom back a little bit, we did some good things as well…I’m disappointed, I’m sad. I think this team did a lot to honor the Chicago Cub uniform.”

PCA on the sting of losing and sad goodbyes

Pete Crow-Armstrong, the team’s 23-year-old burgeoning superstar, spoke to reporters after the game, red-eyed, holding back tears, with his voice trembling with emotion. Equal parts upset over the loss, the disappointment of the Cubs fans, and having to say goodbye to some outgoing 2025 teammates, he spoke from the heart.

“We all go hug each other and stuff, but I don’t think that really does a full year’s justice,” Crow-Armstrong said. “That will be the toughest part moving forward, kind of understanding that it may not be the same faces in here next year, and that’s gonna suck…

“We owe more playoff baseball to this fan base.”

The motivation in this elimination

Lefty starter Matthew Boyd, who bounced back from a horrendous Game One drubbing to lead the team to victory in Game Four, put being a Cub into perspective. He vowed to use the sting of Saturday’s loss as motivation for next year.

“I think when you get to put on those pinstripes, it’s really special and it’s something you realize it’s bigger than you,” Boyd told reporters. “I think we all collectively know that. From spring training, Couns reminded us of that, and I believe we left it all out on the field.

“We came up short, we’re going to get better from it, but we did leave it all out on the field. We gave it everything we got. We’re going to use that experience to get to where we want to go next year and do everything we can to avoid this feeling next season.”

Lefty starter Shota Imanaga, still smarting from two poor postseason outings, echoed Boyd’s vow to take this negative and make it a positive.

“Feel that pain of that loss and carry that into the offseason and use that,” Imanaga said via interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “So for me, it’s just I feel that, and I don’t want to forget that feeling, and that’s going to help me build to become a better player.”

Crow-Armstrong showcased the right mindset in his closing words to the press on Saturday night.

He vowed to carry with him all of the positive moments of this postseason and use that as motivation to grab at those highs year after year.

“Those were two of the best games of my life,” he said of the two NLDS games against the Brewers at a raucous Wrigley Field. “I think that that’s just, again, more motivation to be able to do it year in and year out.”

The post Chicago Cubs dejected, but defiant after NLDS loss: “We owe more playoff baseball to this fan base” appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs have put themselves into a deep, and possibly inescapable, hole with their 7-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday at American Family Field. Down 0-2 in the best-of-five NLDS, they now face elimination at Wrigley Field on Wednesday.

It’s easy to lay the blame for the Cubs’ woes on the starting pitching, which has been horrendous this series and has been unable to make it past three innings in either game. But everyone knew that the Cubs’ pitching would be a huge question mark coming into the postseason.

The real fail of this NLDS so far has centered around the team’s offense, which was once considered their strength and actually helped propel them to a stellar first-half that all but clinched a playoff spot as early as the All-Star break.

After the break, however, the Cubs’ powerful offense turned pedestrian. And that shrinking output has extended into the playoffs.

The Chicago Cubs’ flat-lining offense

In the postseason this year, the Cubs have managed just 12 runs in 5 games, and 9 of those runs have come via home run (6 solo homers and Seiya Suzuki’s 3-run shot on Monday). At this point, the offense gives off the vibe of having no plan other than the hope of an occasional pitcher’s mistake resulting in a home run.

Sam Olbur of the Locked on Cubs podcast had the same observation:

“This is now 12 consecutive postseason games of three runs or less for the Chicago Cubs…It just looks like we’re hoping to hit a home run… ‘Maybe PCA will get into one. Hey, maybe Happ…’”

Actually, according to Talkin’ Baseball, the Cubs have now set the MLB mark for the longest streak of postseason offensive impotence, with 13 straight playoff games of 3 or fewer runs scored.

The problem right now, though, is in the present tense against a Brewers team that is actually playing like a cohesive unit, capable of straining opposition pitching with tenacious at-bats and a smart, efficient mindset.

At one point, early in the season, the Cubs carried that same reputation. That’s most definitely not the case anymore.

Feeble numbers

Over the five games of this postseason: Kyle Tucker is hitting .176 with no home runs and no RBIs, Pete Crow-Armstrong is hitting .222 with no home runs and one RBI, Ian Happ is hitting .105 with one home run and one RBI, Dansby Swanson is hitting .176 with no home runs and one RBI, and Matt Shaw has yet to even get a hit.

“We as an offense have to find a way to put up a few more and help out pitchers a little more,” Ian Happ told the media after Monday’s loss. “That’s the one thing going into Wednesday, we’ve won a few games here in the playoffs, but haven’t scored a bunch of runs. Hanging up a few crooked numbers will help a lot.”

Fixing the holes

The problem is how to put up those “crooked numbers” when so few Cubs are actually getting on base. And even when they do somehow manage to get on base, the other Cubs aren’t driving them in. In the five postseason games this year, Chicago is 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position.

“The first two innings we did a nice job,” manager Craig Counsell said after Monday’s game. “We had two at-bats with runners in scoring position today. That’s a pretty good sign that we’re not creating enough pressure. That’s gonna add up to a lot of zeroes.”

Part of the Cubs’ problem has to do with facing amped-up postseason elite-level pitching, of course. But these recent failings in the playoffs extend deep into the regular season as well.

There’s just no ready-made answer for what’s ailing the Cubs’ offense, and certainly nothing overly impactful that could be employed with, possibly, only one game left in their season.

Maybe the best Chicago can hope for is some more patience from their hitters, a greater focus on small ball, and some slippage from the mostly outstanding Brewers pitching.

The Cubs brain trust will then have to spend the offseason figuring out how to fix an offense that suddenly and inexplicably disappears when needed most.

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The Chicago Cubs have passed their first postseason hurdle, getting by the San Diego Padres in the best-of-three Wild Card series to make their way to the Milwaukee Brewers in the next round.

In the series-clinching 3-1 win, the Cubs also showed why they can be a special team.

Sure, they have some bona fide stars and superstars-in-the-making on the roster who can do some spectacular headline-grabbing things. But what really makes this 2025 squad special is their cohesion as a fully functioning team. They play like a unit and don’t exhibit any ego posturing, with each member happy to admit that when/if they falter, someone else can step up and bail them out.

The quiet Cubs confidence is most definitely on full display when it comes to defense.

Chicago Cubs defense set the tone

The mindset involved in quality glove work is the same needed for team cohesion– be aggressive, be mindful of team needs, and work in service to the team as a whole. You don’t see that aspect of the game reflected in the box score, but teams that have it tend to be winners.

On Thursday, shortstop Dansby Swanson exemplified the importance of a strong defense.

“I don’t think they give an MVP for this round, [but] I’d give it to Swanson,” Padres manager Mike Shildt told media after the game. “Dansby played his tail off and almost single-handedly beat us with his glove. We talk in the modern game about pitching and we talk about the offense…and all the things that are appropriate to talk about in our game, but the one thing we don’t talk about as much anymore is your defense…We play great defense, but Dansby Swanson absolutely beat us with his glove this series.”

Swanson may have gone 0-for-3 with the bat, but his work at shortstop helped establish the fact that this Cubs team was focused on winning and would absolutely not be ceding any ground.

Dansby Swanson and the give-no-ground mindset

The Cubs, as a whole, gave off that winning, give-no-ground vibe in the series-deciding game. Whether hitting or not, the defense was beyond rock solid and pushing right past spectacular. Defensive wiz Pete Crow-Armstrong, second baseman Nico Hoerner, first baseman Michael Busch, and others produced highlight-reel glove moments.

“Our defense up the middle, Carson behind the plate, those guys want the plays,” said starting pitcher Jameson Taillon, whose stellar four-inning outing was also recognized by coaches and teammates as a tone-setter. “They want to make the plays. They want the ball. That’s what makes great defenders.”

For Swanson, his kind of ball is just common sense.

“When you can limit their chances because you catch the ball, it makes a difference,” Swanson told reporters, “and I think that that was on display the last three days.”

Built like this…

On a team with as many as eight Gold Glove-caliber defenders taking the field on any given day, the Cubs exemplify this very basic but effective philosophy. They were assembled with this dynamic in mind.

“It’s kind of been a staple of our group all year,” Swanson added. “We have so many talented defenders and guys that can prevent runs being scored. We talk about it all the time. Winning baseball is a race to 27 outs. The quicker you can get there, obviously, the more games that you’re going to win.”

Now, however, things will get harder and harder as postseason rivals share the Cubs’ commitment to defense and all the little things a team needs to win over the long haul. Some big, loud headline-grabbing explosions will be needed.

In the meantime, there’s nothing but good feelings before the hard work renews on Saturday against the Brewers.

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The Chicago Cubs, with a win on Wednesday and a San Diego Padres loss, now walk into Thursday’s game with the New York Mets with their magic number for the top Wild Card seed at 2. This means that they are just two clicks away from having home field advantage throughout the opening three-game Wild Card series.

The team and the fans at Wrigley Field had a great time in getting to this point on Wednesday, when the early-season Cubs reappeared and stomped the Mets 10-3 in a game that featured just the right blend of offense, pitching, and Cubbie dramatics.

Just about 24 hours ago, though, things were looking quite different.

Chicago Cubs: From gloom to glee in a day

There was still no real target date for a Kyle Tucker return. Closer Daniel Palencia had yet to be activated from the IL. Matthew Boyd was coming into his last start of the regular season with a long string of subpar performances behind him. Rookie of the Year favorite Cade Horton, meanwhile, had been pulled from the game prior with back stiffness.

But what a difference a day makes.

Kyle Tucker’s ETA, Daniel Palencia’s return

“I think our goal right now, and I talked to Kyle today about it, is to be in the lineup on Friday,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters before Wednesday’s game, finally offering a firm target date for the four-time All-Star’s return. “I think we’re trending towards that. I don’t have a report on today, but in talking to him before the day started and while the day was going on inside, we were on the same page with that.”

The return comes with a caveat, though. Tucker will likely DH first and be urged to not go full-out.

“I don’t think the symptoms are gonna be gone, but I think he’s in a place where he agrees that we’ve gotta go,” Counsell said. “We’ve gotta see what it feels like to play. I think maybe the games can help him here and give him some confidence in a certain situation.

“We’ll probably put a governor on it. I will encourage him to not go all out when you don’t have to. And to keep it 80-90% but that’s kinda where we’re at.”

Nice.

Then, also prior to Wednesday’s game, closer Daniel Palencia was activated from the IL.

The 25-year-old would go on to pitch two-thirds of an inning in a low-leverage, low-stress situation in direct relief of starter Matthew Boyd. In the 10 pitches thrown, he was touching triple-digits again and seemed to have his normal stuff.

Matthew Boyd, PCA are back?

And, speaking of Boyd, The lefty, who had been the Cubs’ rotation MVP over the first four months of the season, delivered a pretty solid outing, giving up 2 earned runs over 5.1 innings. To see at least one more solid outing from the veteran after a string of poor ones was a major positive, especially considering the importance of his presence in the postseason.

Even Pete Crow-Armstrong was back to doing Pete Crow-Armstrong things Wednesday night. The speedy 23-year-old would dash his way to score from second base on a wild pitch in the fifth inning, creating all kinds of emotion along the way.

PCA is geared up and ready for his first October postseason run.

“Wrigley’s already got it in ‘em,” Crow-Armstrong told media after the game. “Everybody that shows up — they’re ready to party. Everybody knows that we’re getting close to October baseball, and with that feeling in the air, being able to embrace that is the most fun thing ever.

“…I love playing here, and I love it more and more each day. That sounds cliche, but it’s so, so true.

“…Being able to give these fans October baseball, that’s going to be real special. It’s gonna be special for me, experiencing it for the first time, and then Ian [Happ], being able to be back and doing it again.”

Coming off a season-worst five-game losing streak, a day like Wednesday is definitely a godsend. Now, the task is to extend that forward momentum into the playoffs.

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The Chicago Cubs are headed to the playoffs for the first time since the abbreviated 2020 season. They’re aiming to win their first postseason games since 2017. They hope to make a deep playoff run after a season of ups and downs that tested the team’s overall resiliency.

In spring training, the highest hopes seemed to be simply making the playoffs. After a huge first few months, motored by a dynamic and sometimes overwhelming offense, the talk shifted from merely making the postseason to actual World Series chatter.

Now, Chicago enters into the final week of a regular season that saw them struggle in the second half. A playoff berth has been clinched, but the hopes are once again modest.

But the explosiveness that propelled them to such an outstanding first half is still potentially there. The physical pieces, with the exception of still-injured star right fielder Kyle Tucker, are mostly all there, anyway.

The most bombastic of those potentially explosive Cubs offensive assets is sophomore center fielder and rising star Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Unfortunately, “PCA” has been more wick than dynamite these last couple months.

Before making his first All-Star game, there was legit MVP talk when it came to the 23-year-old. He had hit 25 home runs and registered 71 RBIs before the break, with a .265 batting average and 27 stolen bases. The kid seemed to be on an easy path to a 40-40 year, while delivering Gold Glove defense in center.

The fall of PCA

Then, things changed drastically.

Since the All-Star break (prior to Sunday’s game with the Reds), Crow-Armstrong is hitting .209 with just 4 home runs and 19 RBIs.

From August 1 to the present, he’s slashing a feeble .175/.230/.260, with a 34 wRC+– making him the statistically worst hitter in baseball among players with 100+ at bats in that stretch of time.

Although he’s turned in a couple of solid offensive performances in the last week or so, the downward-bound realities of his at bats are evident.

Chicago Cubs have no answers

Manager Craig Counsell recently interrupted a reporter with a terse “I don’t know” in the middle of a question regarding the reasons behind the young player’s struggles.

“It’s a daily question, and no offense to that, but I don’t know what to tell you,” Counsell said. “I have a hard time breaking down Pete’s swing every single day. Swing at good pitches. Hit ‘em hard. Use the barrel. That’ll work.”

Even more baffling is the fact that analysts are not really seeing any difference in the way opponents are pitching to him. Everything just doesn’t seem to be falling in place and nobody really has any answers.

What PCA still brings to the game

In the meantime, PCA continues to deliver in center field, playing an elite-level defense that, in and of itself, makes him a valuable asset. He’s also got the kind of explosive speed that makes him a major, potentially game-altering, disruptor when he does manage to get on base.

The bat needs to return, though. At least partially. If Tucker can’t get healthy by the playoffs or finds himself mired in another extended slump upon return, the Cubs will need Crow-Armstrong’s bat, as well as everything else he brings to the game.

At this point of the season, however, Counsell and the Cubs have no PCA strategy other than hoping for the best.

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The Chicago Cubs have one urgent issue ahead of their first playoff appearance since 2020– offense. It could also be said that the team is where it’s at right now BECAUSE of their offense.

That’s what makes the team’s post-All-Star break offensive doldrums so frustrating.

In the first half of the season, the Cubs absolutely battered opposition pitching with a mix of power, speed, and high-leverage execution. The wins put on the ledger early in the season were enough to ensure a smoother run to the playoffs over the rougher patches in the latter part of the year.

At this moment, though, there is legitimate doubt when it comes to Chicago’s offense and its ability to thrash its way through the high-end playoff-caliber pitching about to come into picture. With right fielder Kyle Tucker nursing a calf strain that is not responding to therapy and has kept him out of commission since September 2, things look problematic. Add to that the recent slumps of Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki, and the outlook seems bleak.

The Chicago Cubs’ offensive x-factor?

However, the Cubs could have an x-factor up their proverbial sleeve, a fresh shot of juice into the vein of an inconsistently productive offense.

That x-factor is Moises Ballesteros.

The 21-year-old has excelled with the bat at every level of professional ball he’s played, and that seems to now extend to the major leagues.

Since his most recent call-up on September 12, Ballesteros is hitting .333 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs. While this is only over 24 at bats, the left-handed DH is definitely giving off the vibe of someone very ready to deal with big league pitching.

Moises Ballesteros excels with the bat

Per Brandon Glick of North Side Baseball:

“Since getting the call back to the bigs on Sept. 12, Ballesteros has played in every game for the Cubs (save for Friday night’s affair against the Reds) as the starting designated hitter, batting cleanup. In those 27 plate appearances, he’s batting .333/.407/.667 to go with two home runs and a triple. In conjunction with his impressive 11.1% walk rate, Ballesteros’ 189 wRC+ in that span is the best on the team.

He’s doing the things you’d expect a quality big league hitter to do during this hot streak; his hard-hit rate (38.9%) is up, he’s deploying a solid all-fields approach, and luck has been on his side (.375 BABIP). Sure, his ground-ball rate is an alarming 61.1%, but when you’ve got the bat control and power of Ballesteros, it’s easy to punch those ground balls through the infield.”

Just what the Cubs need

The knock on the portly Ballesteros has always been centered around his lack of defensive prowess and his inability to really play any position on a consistent basis. But for the Cubs, right now, a DH-only bat is just fine. And it’ll be especially fine if Tucker isn’t able to make it back in time for the playoffs and current DH Seiya Suzuki has to remain the full-time fill-in for Tucker in right field.

Throw a hot Ballesteros into the mix with a red-hot Nico Hoerner, along with a few other offensive assets on a streak, and the Cubs may be able to push ahead without Tucker and with a cooled-down Crow-Armstrong.

“It’s not on one guy to do this,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell recently said, regarding the secret to reigniting the offense. “The consistent offenses take turns at being productive. Look, if we’re going to play a lot of October baseball, some of these guys are going to have to do special things. Which ones? It doesn’t really matter, but some of these guys are going to have to do some special things.

“We got a lot of candidates, and I think that’s why we’re capable of playing a lot of games in October. But we’re going to need some special offensive performances.”

Ballesteros is quickly proving himself to be one of those guys capable of pushing the team along.

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The Chicago Cubs, on Wednesday at PNC Park, clinched their first playoff berth since the abbreviated 2020 season with an 8-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

More importantly, though, they’re aiming on a deep run in the postseason and looking to win their first playoff games since 2017.

As the champagne flowed in the clubhouse and the celebration intensified, it should be noted that this Cubs team had earned this moment. In a long season with so many ups and down along the way, Chicago’s resolve has been tested over and over again. So far, they’ve showcased elite-level resiliency.

“The playoffs is where the fun happens,” manager Craig Counsell told Marquee Sports Network, amid the champagne-soaked celebration. “I’m so happy for all the people in the room, the guys that are going for the first time. The goal is not complete yet during the regular season. We want to host games at Wrigley. We want to play our first playoff game at Wrigley. That’s really important. And so we got a lot of work to do left for that. But we’re gonna have some fun today.”

Chicago Cubs focus on the playoffs: The outfield

With the top NL Wild Card seed– and home field advantage in the three-game Wild Card Series– close at hand (The Cubs’ magic number is 6) and ten games to go in the regular season, the focus now has to be fixed on the playoffs.

And, as post-celebration reality sets in, the team finds several inconsistencies and uncertainties that need to be settled before they can have a serious chance at ultimate postseason glory.

The outfield, which seemed stellar and beyond-secure throughout the first half of the season, is now one of those areas plagued by question marks as the playoffs approach.

Will Kyle Tucker be ready to play?

Four-time All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker remains inactive, sidelined by a calf strain that just doesn’t seem to be responding to treatment. The 28-year-old opted to leave the team on Wednesday morning to work off-site with his physical therapy team in Tampa. This development puts into doubt whether the free-agency bound star will be ready for the postseason.

Losing Tucker, arguably their offensive linchpin, would be a huge blow for the Cubs. Realistically, it could be a postseason-damning blow.

Sans their multi-tool star, the Cubs will probably be moving Seiya Suzuki from DH to his former right field spot, where he’ll be a significant defensive downgrade from the Gold Glove Tucker.

Top prospect Owen Caissie is injured and dealing with MLB concussion protocol, so he’ll likely be out of the right field mix.

PCA, Happ and the rest of the outfield

In center field, Pete Crow-Armstrong is a no-brainer starter. But the question the Cubs have is whether the 23-year-old will be the MVP-level force of nature that he was in the first half of the season or the offense-lacking glove-and-speed player he’s been since the beginning of August. Recent games suggest that he may be coming out of his offensive funk. A red-hot PCA at the plate can only mean good things for the team’s postseason chances. The Cubs’ only real backup to Crow-Armstrong is the 22-year-old Kevin Alcantara, who may not even make the playoff roster, and super-utility man Willi Castro.

Perhaps surprisingly, the one sure thing heading into the playoffs is left fielder and longest-tenured Cub Ian Happ, who’s been incredibly steady throughout his career and has recently been on an offensive tear. The Cubs will plug the three-time Gold Glover into his corner outfield slot and not have to question what will come.

On this particular outfield squad, Happ is assuming the role of leader, winning the trust of Crow-Armstrong, specifically.

“There was definitely a mention of, ‘This is not the last,’” Crow-Armstrong said, referring to a private message received from Happ. “I mean, Ian learned from some of the best. Ian is one of the best at passing that on. Ian has meant a lot to me, just as a person. I’ll follow his lead…I’ve got full trust in Ian Happ as a leader.”

As for backups to Happ, Suzuki can play some left field in a pinch. Alcantara can, as well. Castro can play all three outfield positions, as well as all infield spots. Veteran speedster and former Cub Billy Hamilton, who can play all three outfield positions, was acquired late in the season and may find his way on to the playoff roster as a run-only guy.

Tucker, of course, is key to this Cubs outfield. Crow-Armstrong’s bat is also of vital importance. A hot Happ would be a very welcomed asset, especially if Tucker is out and/or PCA is not hitting.

If running on all cylinders, the outfield is a major strength on this Cubs team. But the outfield roster is slim and there’s almost zero margin for error in the all-important postseason.

The post Chicago Cubs outfield in question as team clinches playoff spot appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs know they have something special in Pete Crow-Armstrong. There’s no real way to gauge, however, just HOW special.

Earlier in the season, the “PCA” hyperbole was insane. Some were talking him up as almost the second coming of Willie Mays, the perfect combination of speed, power, and defense, with more than a touch of magic behind him as well.

The excitement was understandable as the 23-year-old was a human highlight film over the first four months of the season and had earned starting center fielder honors at his first All-Star game. At the break, he had already notched 25 home runs and 27 stolen bases while playing stellar defense in the outfield. He came back from the Mid-Summer Classic pretty hot as well, finishing off the rest of July with a .333 batting average, 2 home runs and 7 RBIs.

PCA coming to life?

Then, August came.

Since August 1 and coming into Monday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, Crow-Armstrong was hitting a measly .162 with 1 home run and 9 RBIs.

Monday, however, was a different story.

PCA would go 2-for-4 on the night. He hit the ball well, logging a double (and stealing third base afterward) and pulling a 414 ft. home run into the right field stands. It was his first home run since August 22 and his first RBI in a week.

Although it was just one game, the importance of a hot and explosive PCA is not lost on anyone.

“I think it’s important for us offensively when he has good nights,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game. “It’s just ‘do your share,’ right? Yesterday it was Nico Hoerner, today it was Pete with some big hits, a couple of runs scored. Taking our turns…that’s how we get consistent offense.”

The importance of a hot PCA

With right fielder Kyle Tucker sidelined, suffering setbacks in his recovery, and DH Seiya Suzuki inactive while dealing with an undisclosed illness, it’s clear that the young star will have to be more than just one of the contributors as the team pushes to finish the season and secure a playoff spot.

“It’s great. That’s what I’m working to do every day,” Crow-Armstrong told media. “It’s just nice to find the barrel a couple times and walk away feeling like my at-bats were somewhat productive.”

Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon, who threw 6 scoreless wins en route to the 4-0 win on Monday, talked up PCA’s game and just how important his presence is in the lineup.

“It’s huge,” Taillon told reporters. “In the first half, when we were putting up a ton of runs, he was a focal point of our offense. He was really the centerpiece for us. Tonight: double, homer, stolen base, that’s just awesome to see him running all over the field.”

A vital Chicago Cubs postseason element

Being a streaky hitter is just the nature of who Crow-Armstrong is and who he’ll probably always be. But even with hot and cold spells at the plate, his defense and overall speed make him a true every day asset. With Monday’s performance, he once again becomes the team leader in WAR, boosting himself to a 6.1 over Nico Hoerner’s 6.0.

If Tucker can’t get healthy and, especially, can’t get healthy in time for the playoffs, Crow-Armstrong will have to get mature beyond his years, fast, and assume a greater team leadership role. The Cubs may, conceivably, advance in the playoffs without Tucker, but they can’t survive without Tucker AND without PCA being the first-half PCA, making up for Tucker’s absence.

That’s a lot of pressure to put on a 23-year-old, but it’s just the way things are shaping up.

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The Chicago Cubs pulled off a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday at Wrigley Field to take the three-game series before a road trip that starts Monday. Second baseman Nico Hoerner was a big reason the team walked away with the “W.”

That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise if you’ve been following the team closely, especially in this latter half of the season. Since the All-Star break, the 28-year-old has hit .328 with an OPS of .822. In his last 18 games, he’s been on a fierce tear, batting .366 with 10 RBIs and 12 extra base hits. With runners in scoring position, he’s registered an NL-leading 50 hits while logging a .362 batting average.

From trade bait to MVP

Not bad at all for a player widely rumored to be on the trading black this past offseason and one who many viewed as a dispensable part of this Cubs team.

During this latest stretch, it seems as though a good part of Cubs offense has somehow involved Hoerner.

On Sunday, his presence was felt once again as he went 2-for-4, while driving in 3 of the Cubs’ 4 runs. His seventh-inning double, which drove in Willi Castro and Matt Shaw to put Chicago on top, was the key moment in the game.

“Big moment,” Hoerner told reporters after the game. “Flip a game the other direction. Definitely one of the bigger swings of the year for me personally. Felt like it was a moment to seize. Win the final game of a series and happy flight, all that good stuff. It matters.

“This group has done a lot throughout the year to put us in a strong place. And I think, regardless of standings, finishing with positive energy and excitement and doing that at home is a big deal.”

With Sunday’s showing, Hoerner passed team leader in WAR Pete Crow-Armstrong (6.0 to 5.8), He also upped his batting average on the year to .299, inching up on NL batting leader Trea Turner’s .305.

Nico Hoerner has been really, really good

“I don’t know what he’s hitting this month, but it’s felt like a lot,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told media on Sunday. “There’s a lot of base hits in there. He had two big hits today. Drove in three of the runs today. And just a big swing. A big swing when we needed one.”

Jordan Bastian of MLB.com has crunched the numbers on Hoerner’s excellence and consistency this season:

“That has been a theme for Hoerner, who has a slash line of .362/.418/.457 in 158 plate appearances this season with runners in scoring position. His elite contact rate (89.9% overall and 96.8% on pitches in the zone) and peskiness at the plate play into his success in those moments. (Hoerner’s 14.0 plate appearances per strikeout rank second to Luis Arraez in the Majors.).”

The Chicago Cubs’ unsung hero

All in all, on a team plagued with offensive inconsistency and stalled by hitters languishing through extended slumps, the young veteran has been his usual reliable self while showcasing some real team leadership chops. Eligible for free agency at the end of next season, there’s now some buzz about the Cubs possibly extending him right now rather than risk losing him.

“He makes so much contact, he’s such a good base runner, he’s so good at second,” Pitcher Jameson Taillon said back in June.

“He’s a really smart baseball player. He understands how guys are going to attack him. He understands if (a pitcher) needs a swing-and-miss, where they may go against him and where he should look. He’s got a really good understanding of the situation.

“He’s a great defender, he has great hands, a great internal clock and he understands the game. But a lot of his really nice defense comes from some want-to. He loves taking hits and runs away. You can feel it. He gets after it. He’s attacking the baseball. It’s an edgy defense.”

The plucky, old-school Hoerner, on a team full of star-level talent, may have worked himself into being the Cubs’ 2025 MVP.

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The Chicago Cubs got another helping of bad news on Saturday– aside from the frustrating 5-4 loss suffered at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays at Wrigley Field.

Rookie right fielder and Cubs no. 1 prospect Owen Caissie has been put on the shelf, per MLB concussion protocol.

What put him there was a fluke accident that saw the 23-year-old take a tumble into the brick and ivy outfield wall, apparently hitting the back of his head, while catching a fly ball.

Owen Caissie, out of commission

The play in question happened in the third inning with Colin Rea still on the mound. Rays shortstop Carson Williams hit a deep fly ball into the gap in right-center. Caissie and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong were both in pursuit of the catch, but Crow-Armstrong slid to make way for the right fielder. Ironically, the slide to prevent a collision resulted in Caissie, who did make the catch, being tripped up and crashing against the wall.

The young outfielder would stay in the game, going 0-2 at the plate, before being removed in favor of Willi Castro in the sixth inning. Shortly thereafter, the Cubs announced their decision to put Caissie on pause.

“Owen has concussion symptoms,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “We’ll just evaluate him moving forward. He just kind of got gradually worse after running into the wall. About 45 minutes later, he couldn’t continue.”

“That thing’s brick, and it doesn’t give,” Cubs left fielder Ian Happ told the media after the game. “Owen did a great job of catching that ball and tracking it. He just got tripped up a little bit. Hopefully he’s all right, but that’s a tough one going headfirst into that thing.”

The prospect had just been recalled from Triple-A Iowa prior to Saturday’s game.

Chicago Cubs’ backup to the backup

Outfielder Kevin Alcantara, who had been sent down to the minors when Caissie was brought up, will come right back to Chicago to fill the now-open roster slot. He’ll be needed, as the Cubs are currently in a bind when it comes to outfielders with Kyle Tucker on the IL and Seiya Suzuki having missed some time due to undisclosed illness. Alcantara will likely share time in right field with Willi Castro until Caissie, Tucker, or Suzuki come back at full speed.

This brief cameo was Caissie’s second major league run this season, after being the subject of trade rumors during the offseason and in the lead-up to the July 31 trade deadline. Remaining on the Cubs’ roster appears to be a result of Chicago’s uncertainty of re-signing free agency-bound Kyle Tucker and of Caissie’s own potential as a heavy-hitting corner outfielder.

In 26 big league at-bats this season, the Canadian prospect is hitting .192 with 1 home run and 4 RBIs, logging an OPS of .568. For the Iowa Cubs, he’s had a breakthrough season with 22 home runs and 55 RBIs with a .286 batting average and a .937 OPS.

The thought in initially swapping Alcantara for Caissie was that, with Tucker out for at least a week and maybe longer, the Cubs would need Caissie’s power more than Alcantara’s speed. Now, however, that is a moot point.

MLB concussion protocol

MLB concussion protocol allows for a shorter 7-day IL stint as the injured player passes a series of steps to ensure full recovery from symptoms of concussion. A failure to pass each designated step in recovery pushes the player back to the initial step. With just 14 games to go in the season, a step backwards for Caissie at any point in the process will likely cost him the rest of the season.

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The Chicago Cubs got some more bad news on Saturday when star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong fouled a ball off his knee and eventually removed himself from the game.

The “oh no” moment came just days after star right fielder Kyle Tucker was removed from Tuesday’s game with left calf discomfort.

To make matters worse, both suffered their injuries just as they seemed to be crawling their way out of extended slumps. Tucker hasn’t played since Tuesday. Crow-Armstrong isn’t in Sunday’s lineup and is also listed as day-to-day, likely to sit out several games.

Tucker and PCA sidelined

“It’s new pain,” Crow-Armstrong told reporters after the frustrating 2-1 loss to the Nationals at Wrigley Field. “There’s definitely [stuff] that’s hurt worse, but this hurts. And the legs are just funny. That’s kind of how I help the cause on a daily basis, is with my legs. It was a good stinger, for sure.”

When it comes to Tucker, manager Craig Counsell is reporting some progress on the calf injury and feels that a stint on the IL wouldn’t be necessary.

“That’s what we’re dealing with is we think we have time to let this heal without putting him on the injured list,” Counsell said. “We think he’ll be ready before what an injured list [stint] would cost him. And we also, with having the extra player in September, feel like we’re not playing short, really. Don’t feel like, from a roster perspective, it hurts us at all.”

In the meantime, though, the Cubs will have to make do without two of their starting outfielders and, arguably, their two primary offensive assets.

The bad luck Chicago Cubs

If you’ve been following Chicago’s season even semi-closely, this latest double dose of bad news falls right into the pattern of Cubs 2025 bad luck.

Here are just some of the lowlights:

• They lost their ace Justin Steele in early April with an elbow injury, just four starts into his season. He’ll be out of commission until about mid-2026 at the absolute earliest.
• About a month later, they lost co-ace Shota Imanaga to a hamstring injury for close to two months.
• Workhorse starter Jameson Taillon has now had two separate stints on the IL, missing more than two months of the season.
• Starter Javier Assad suffered two oblique injuries in spring training that kept him down until August 12.
• Trade deadline pitching acquisition Michael Soroka only managed to last two innings in his first start as a Cub before going down with a shoulder strain.
• Kyle Tucker suffered a hairline fracture in his hand in June, which spiraled into a mechanical hiccup and led to a career-worst extended slump that lasted nearly two months.
• Tucker’s decline coincided with an almost team-wide slump that saw Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Michael Busch all settle into a funk.
• Catcher Miguel Amaya, after having a breakthrough first half of the season, went down with an oblique injury that cost him almost three months. One game into his return, he suffered a freak accident hustling to first base and may be out for the rest of the season with a severe ankle sprain.

A team of destiny or despair?

It’s just been one of those seasons. And the recent Tucker and PCA setbacks fall right into that pattern of tough luck.

But, even with all the bad mojo floating around, the Cubs have still have the fifth best record in all the majors and are a lock to make the playoffs, likely as the NL Wild Card top seed.

So, what does that say about this 2025 team? Are they a potentially great team hobbled by misfortune or are they a very good team rising above the bad luck?

If you ask the Cubs, themselves, they’ll proudly talk up their resilience as a unit and their confidence in the team as a whole.

“We all go through hard times,” pitcher Matthew Boyd said, back when Tucker was at the height of his offensive struggles. “But that’s why there’s 26 of us in there. We pick each other up.”

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The Chicago Cubs just gave Pete Crow-Armstrong a meaningful breather, holding him out of the starting lineup for two games ahead of a scheduled team off day. He had been in the lineup nearly every day this season, saw little rest over the All-Star break due to his participation in the game, and was clearly wearing down amid a late-summer slump.

In his return to the starting lineup, Crow-Armstrong suffered a new injury that forced him to exit the game early. The injury occurred in the sixth inning of the Cubs’ 2–1 loss to the Nationals. Adding to Chicago’s concerns, the team is already without Kyle Tucker, who remains sidelined with calf tightness.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong sustained a knee contusion

During an at-bat against Nationals reliever PJ Poulin, Crow-Armstrong fouled an 89.5 mph sinker off his kneecap. The ball caught him in just the wrong spot, and despite finishing the at-bat with a walk and subsequently beating out a close play at second, he knew something wasn’t right.

“It was one of those moments where I just tried weighing options,” Crow-Armstrong told MLB.com. “I’m no use, really, out there if I’m not moving the way I should be, so I felt that our best chance was not having me move around limply out there today.”

Status alert: Pete Crow-Armstrong leaves game Saturday.pic.twitter.com/poE6t9FIId

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 6, 2025

After limping off the field, Crow-Armstrong and manager Craig Counsell agreed he wouldn’t return to the game. Fortunately, X-rays came back negative, and he’s officially listed as day-to-day with a knee contusion.

The post After rest days, Pete Crow-Armstrong exits early with injury appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs, unless something unthinkably disastrous happens over the course of the next 3-and-a-half weeks or so, will make the playoffs. They’re also likely to have the top Wild Card seed, ensuring home field advantage throughout the three-game Wild Card series.

But, given what everyone’s seen of this team over the last couple months or so, there’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to how well the Cubs will do in the postseason this year.

In the first part of the season, though, there was little doubt that Chicago was headed for a deep run in the playoffs and maybe even a World Series appearance. The team was THAT good and firing on all cylinders.

The Chicago Cubs had an elite offense

The optimism was mostly generated due to the team’s elite offense, which was absolutely steamrolling opposition pitching and providing comfort for a pitching staff that overachieved a bit because of it, despite losing ace Justin Steele very early in the season.

Pete Crow-Armstrong was generating MVP buzz with his excellence at the plate and his elite-level defense in center field. Seiya Suzuki was delivering career-best numbers from the DH spot. Catcher Carson Kelly was making headlines with an almost Babe Ruthian power pace. First baseman Michael Busch was having a breakthrough sophomore year. And in the middle of it all, offseason acquisition Kyle Tucker was serving as the linchpin for the lineup, delivering top-tier production in all areas.

And then something happened and, almost suddenly, the Cubs’ heavy hitters stopped hitting heavy.

The fall of the Cubs offense

Tucker’s .184 average from July 1 to August 21 made the most headlines, but every one of the top-tier Cubs run producers has fallen off. In August, Crow-Armstrong posted a feeble .160 batting average, registering an MLB-worst OPS and wRC+ among qualified hitters in that month.

If not for the post-All-Star break output of Nico Hoerner, Matt Shaw, and Dansby Swanson, the team may have had a grimmer fate than just falling out of first place in the NL Central Division.

And, although the Cubs have shown glimmers of breaking out of their team-wide slump, there is still legitimate concern that the offense which motored them to regular season success may not be able to get them postseason success.

The biggest postseason concern

Sahadev Sharma, in a collaborative piece for The Athletic titled “MLB playoff watch: Biggest concern facing each of the top contending teams,” talks up the big pending question mark as the team heads into the playoffs.

Per Sharma:

“As good as the overall numbers are, the chief concern has to be the offense. This was a group that made the Cubs look dominant early in the season with a pair of MVP candidates in Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Now with PCA in a funk, Tucker’s calf a question mark and prior standouts like Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki not looking as consistent, suddenly this isn’t as formidable a unit. If the Cubs can find their rhythm and get close to looking how they did early in the year, they will be dangerous in October.”

Make no mistake, there are also other question marks for the Cubs. The durability of the starting rotation is a real issue, as is the postseason stability of closer Daniel Palencia.

But, yes, the offense tops the list of concerns.

Certain tweaks from manager Craig Counsell have delivered short-term positive results, but nothing has seemed to work when it comes to restoring the might of the first-half Cubs offense.

If Chicago wants to make a deep playoff run, they better find a way to get back at least some of that offensive magic.

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The Chicago Cubs are playoff-bound. Well, to be precise, the odds-making experts give them over a 99% chance of making the postseason.

The team is acting accordingly, erring on the side of caution when it comes to their top playoff assets– that includes rising star/slumping star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

On most teams, it would be a no-brainer to bench a guy hitting .160 in a crucial late-season month, with a MLB-worst OPS and wRC+ among qualified hitters. When it comes to PCA, though, the issue becomes more complex as his value to the Cubs comes in his glove and speed, almost as much as with his bat.

PCA pushed into a “reset”

The struggling 23-year-old had been given two full days off prior to Thursday’s off day, giving him a total of three rest days to get his mind and body back into gear. This “reset” is similar to the one given to a slumping Kyle Tucker, near the end of August, after almost two months of struggles at the plate. In the case of Tucker, the pull-back seemed to work as he has batted .400 since his mental/physical reset.

Kevin Alcantara was brought up from Triple-A to provide some support in center and utility man Willi Castro can also step in to cover the position, as he did in Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field.

The objective is to get the young talent’s head back into the game and to allow him some physical rest after playing nearly every inning at the taxing outfield position for the first 5+ months of the season.

“A real break”

“We’re just given a chance with the off day here to give him a real break,” manager Craig Counsell told media before Wednesday’s game. “So just to get him a physical and mental break and then go into the last, essentially, 3 1/2 weeks of the season, hopefully a little bit refreshed…

“I think Pete wanted to play. I thought it was the best idea to — I looked at this frankly early in the [last] road trip. ‘Where could we get Pete a break?’ As the road trip went on, it became obvious to me that we should use this opportunity to give him a little break.

“Pete’s been out there a whole bunch. It’s because of his defense, he’s so valuable on defense, no matter what’s going on at the plate. So for that reason, he’s had very few off days.”

Chicago Cubs in full prep mode for playoffs

The move corresponds with Counsell’s decision to sit Tucker after concerns over a tight calf muscle in Tuesday’s game and the unpopular decision to pull rookie Cade Horton from Wednesday’s game in the fifth inning, after throwing 75 pitches, despite working on a no-hitter. Prior to all of that, Counsell and company made the cautionary move to place pitcher Jameson Taillon on the IL with a groin strain that Taillon, himself, says he might’ve been able to work through.

All of this has been done with the goal of fielding the best and healthiest possible team in the playoffs.

“None of it’s black and white,” Counsell told reporters. “I think you do what’s best for the player first. Always, always do what’s best for the player. And then you have other considerations. You learn lessons in doing this…The benefit outweighs it sometimes as much as you want your best players out there. There’s many examples that I’ve learned from the past. You do what’s right for the player, and you’re not making a mistake.”

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has hit a rough patch since the All-Star break, particularly during a tough month of August in which he slashed just .160/.216/.230 over 100 at-bats. After an impressive first half that had him looking like a breakout star, his recent struggles led to him being out of the starting lineup for the past two games, and appearing off the bench in one of those contests.

Following Crow-Armstrong not being in the starting lineup for a second consecutive game against the Atlanta Braves, manager Craig Counsell indicated that he wanted to give Crow-Armstrong a real break, physically and mentally, in order to prepare for the final three and half weeks of the regular season.

Pete Crow-Armstrong received physical and mental rest in order to prepare for the Chicago Cubs final stretch of the season

As a first-time All-Star and everyday MLB player, Crow-Armstrong hasn’t had many opportunities to rest this season. He’s consistently put in the effort required to perform as a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder while also pushing toward the rare 30 home run, 30 stolen base milestone. Add in the wear and tear of traveling to Tokyo, missing out on a typical All-Star break, and his drive to stay in the lineup as much as possible, and it’s clear that a breather was both necessary and well-earned.

Counsell echoed as much by saying, “We’re giving him a real break. Just to give him a physical and mental break, and then go into the last three and a half weeks of the season, hopefully a little bit refreshed.”

The final stretch of the season carries major significance for both Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs. While they currently sit in a strong position atop the Wild Card standings, good enough to host a best-of-three playoff series, closing the gap on the Brewers to secure a first-round bye would be even more rewarding.

If Crow-Armstrong can rediscover his early-season form, it could provide the offensive spark the Cubs need for a late push. More importantly, it would mean they’re getting a key contributor back at just the right time. Whether he can find his rhythm again remains to be seen, but a few days of rest may be exactly what he needs to reset and recharge.

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The Chicago Cubs, in the estimation of every entity that makes such projections, are above the 99 percentile when it comes making the playoffs. The question is where, exactly, they will get in.

As things sit right now, the team is three games ahead of the San Diego Padres for the top Wild Card seed, which would give them home field advantage in the first 3-game postseason series. They are five games ahead of the New York Mets, who currently have the no. 3 seed, and nine games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds, who are still technically in the Wild Card race.

As such, Chicago is already making moves with an eye on the playoffs, especially when it comes to fielding the best possible team come Game 1 of Series 1.

“We want to be peaking from a health perspective,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell recently told media. “Obviously, we’re coaching every day and trying to get our guys into a good playing mode. That’s a very elusive thing to chase. Of course, you’re chasing the best performance from all your players, and we’re going to continue to chase that.”

With that in mind, here are the three majors areas of concern and/or intrigue when it comes to the Cubs’ postseason run.

Playoff starting rotation

The top three contenders for postseason rotation spots are easy to identify– Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Cade Horton. The big question, though, is who will get the start in the first game of the Wild Card series.

Boyd, who is in his first full season since Tommy John surgery and posting his highest inning total since 2019, has been struggling of late. Over his last seven outings, he has a 5.09 ERA and there are legitimate concerns that the inning strain may be getting to him.

Imanaga, who has a 4.29 ERA over his last eight starts, has no major league postseason experience, but may have the freshest arm, since he lost nearly two months earlier in the season with a hamstring injury.

Horton, meanwhile, is a rookie with a history of injury, who has already logged more innings pitched this season than over the course of his entire professional career, combined. He has definitely excelled, especially since the All-Star break, but there’s been plenty of internal concern regarding his durability.

Beyond the top three, there are capable veterans Jameson Taillon and Colin Rea, who will get their time on the mound, but will have greater roles if/when the Cubs make it past the three-game first round.

Offensive rebound

No matter what the pitching does in the postseason, if the Cubs don’t have their offense kicking in, the likelihood of a one-and-done playoff appearance is high. Kyle Tucker appears to have, at least partially, clawed his way out of the career-worst slump that cost him nearly two months of offensive productivity. Still in the doldrums are Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki, who need to be key offensive contributors for the team to fire on all cylinders. If Chicago can get back to being anywhere near as proficient at scoring runs as they were in the first part of the season, they could have a very deep run in the playoffs. But that’s a huge “if.”

Daniel Palencia

Many criticized the Cubs front office when they didn’t pull the trigger on a trade for a potential co-closer at this year’s trade deadline. At the time, the team seemed fine with Daniel Palencia in that role. He definitely looked as close to unhittable as humanly possible since being called up from Triple-A in mid-April, sporting a 1.40 ERA with 14 saves at the July 31 deadline.

But the 25-year-old Palencia has never been a full-time closer and has never felt the kind of pressure that comes along with that role, especially at the postseason-level. A troubling 5.23 ERA in the month of August seems to tell the tale of a pitcher starting to wilt under the late-season strain. And, although the Cubs have an all-around capable bullpen, nobody is truly elite-level closer material.

So, yes, there’s reason for optimism as the Cubs make their first playoff run since 2020, but there’s also a lot to think about and/or worry about as the postseason approaches.

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The Chicago Cubs, trailing the Atlanta Braves 6-1 at one point, staged an exciting come-from-behind victory Monday afternoon at Wrigley Field, in the first game of a three-game series. But somewhat lost in the heroics involved in the big 7-6 walkoff win, was the spotlight it shined on Pete Crow-Armstrong.

The 23-year-old center fielder’s game on Monday was a microcosm of PCA’s second-half struggles and of his ongoing battle to still be a top contributor to his team.

From the top to the bottom

The young star turned heads and made headlines in the first half of the season, hitting 25 home runs, posting 71 RBIs, and stealing 27 bases– all while playing elite-level defense– en route to easy starter status in his first All-Star Game. MVP talk was everywhere.

The post-All-Star PCA story has been way different.

He’s hitting just .212 with 3 home runs and only 12 RBIs since the break. His August output has been, literally, baseball’s worst, posting the lowest OPS and wRC+ in MLB among qualified hitters. With a .160 average in the month and just 1 home run and 5 RBIs, things have been ugly. If not for Kyle Tucker’s much more publicized slump, the pressure on Crow-Armstrong would’ve been even greater.

PCA still contributes

But the sophomore continues to push forward, showcasing his trademark grit and self-belief, finding ways to contribute even as he works to regain his mojo at the plate.

On Monday, he made a dazzling sliding catch in center, covering 95 feet in 4.7 seconds in the seventh inning to take away what appeared to be an extra base hit.

“It gives every pitcher confidence to throw the ball in the zone,” said new Cub Aaron Civale, who was the beneficiary of that stunning outfield grab. “You can go up there, attack the zone knowing that, if the ball gets hit, there’s a good chance the play is going to be made.”

Crow-Armstrong also made the daring move in the sixth inning, after two prior frustratingly non-productive at bats, to bunt for a base hit on a 0-2 count with two outs. PCA’s surprise move– the only two-strike bunt hit in baseball this season– opened the door for a Dansby Swanson RBI double.

“That was probably what was going through his head, too,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, referring to PCA’s eagerness to contribute in some way. “Just trying to find something positive that he could do.”

The Chicago Cubs make their PCA plan

Despite the team’s belief in the burgeoning star, plans have been made to take some of the weight off his shoulders before the postseason. Rookie corner outfielder Owen Caissie was swapped out for Kevin Alcantara, who will be pegged to do some center field work to give PCA a breather, as well as take some at bats against lefties.

“I see a young player struggling,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told Marquee Sports Network. “I see a guy that’s just struggling and is a little bit frustrated as he works through it…I was just watching him hit in the cage right now, he’s certainly putting the work in to find it. The hope is that it clicks here in the next month. Not entirely surprising, guys have ups and downs. He really didn’t have any downs [in the first half]

…Hoping to give Pete some more days off, and you want him fresh and playing well. So that was the mindset…I think he struggles and he still, every day, helps us win games. His defense is just unbelievable. And I think that as I talk about our pitching staff, I think a huge part of that is our defense. He still helps us win every day.”

And that, right there, is PCA– and PCA’s season– in a nutshell.

The kid is so multi-faceted that, even when he struggles in one area, he can still be a high-end contributor in other areas. The fact that his dreadful slump hasn’t affected other aspects of his game is a testament to his strength of character and to his old school baseball toughness.

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The Chicago Cubs got another win on Friday night, their fourth in five games.

The 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels didn’t get the team any closer to the first place Milwaukee Brewers, who also won that night, in the NL Central Division. It was also a close and unnecessarily nail-biting “W” picked up at almost the last possible moment.

But the win marked the return to life of Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong who, prior to the Angels series opener, had batted a combined .146 in the month of August with no home runs and just 3 total RBIs.

Tucker and PCA go long…finally

The offensive linchpins would each only go a modest 1-for-4 on the evening, but the hits were both solo home runs that helped push the Cubs to victory. Tucker had not homered since July 19 and Crow-Armstrong hadn’t hit a long ball since July 23.

Tucker pulled his line-drive shot in his first at bat off lefty Tyler Anderson, who had been on fans’ and media’s short list of desired Cubs acquisitions at this season’s trade deadline.

Crow-Armstrong’s homer came in the top of the ninth, off Angels closer Kenley Jansen with the game tied 2-2 at the time.

Both four-baggers were treated with great emotion, along with a heaping helping of relief.

“It’s about time I stepped up in a situation like that,” Crow-Armstrong told reporters after the game. “I haven’t played my part, up to this point, since the (All-Star) break. It’s definitely a feeling to build off.”

Tucker was characteristically reserved when commenting on his own drought-breaker.

“It was cool,” he told reporters in the locker room. “Haven’t done that in a while.”

“Two guys that needed a big hit,” Manager Craig Counsell told media, referring to Crow-Armstrong and Tucker. “Getting them a contribution to a ‘W’ on the offensive side– I think it makes everybody feel good.”

Getting their mojo back (at the perfect time)?

But this could be more than just two home runs to propel the team to victory. It could be more than two key components of the team’s offensive getting the weight of extended slumps off their shoulders. This could be the key to getting the Cubs back to being what they were in the first part of the season, when their dominance was starting to stir up World Series talk.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that, in a sport where the mental aspect is so much part of the game, an emotional reboot like Friday’s could be the start of another wave of momentum– momentum, by the way, which would be coming at the perfect time of the season, right before the playoffs.

The Chicago Cubs’ character

Through the struggles and beyond, though, this Cubs team has shown character and a team-first attitude that has kept them in good spirits even when things could’ve easily drifted into bickering and finger pointing.

That attitude came to the surface after the Tucker and “PCA” offensive drought had been busted.

“He [Tucker] has shown me how to stay the course, as a ton of others have,” Crow-Armstrong said of his teammate. “But he was also the last person to come up and pat me on the butt before I went up for my last at-bat. That kind of gives me chills there. I’ve never been worried about Kyle. It’s just nice that the anticipation of that one swing was kind of there, so I felt a little bit freed up for him. That honestly probably contributed to me taking my fourth at-bat after not really doing anything.”

“We all go through hard times,” pitcher Matthew Boyd said of Tucker’s struggles after the right fielder had been benched for a mental “reset” a few games ago. “But that’s why there’s 26 of us in there. We pick each other up. Kyle will do what he needs to do. There’s not a worry in the world about him. He picked us up, at times, in the first half of this year. Let’s not forget that. Where we are this year is because of him.”

Any way you slice it, the Cubs are going to need Tucker and Crow-Armstrong if their playoff run is going to be anything other than a token appearance. Friday’s game gave hope that maybe both are ready to move on past their struggles.

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The Chicago Cubs have not been playing like a playoff-bound team since about the middle of June. And if they continue playing like they have been since the All-Star break, they may not be in the playoffs at all.

The team has already fallen deeply into second place, 9 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the Central Division as of this writing. They are currently just 1.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres for the top National League Wild Card spot.

Since the All-Star break, they’ve managed a feeble 13-15 record. Since July 1, they are just 21-19.

Offensive outage sinks Chicago Cubs’ ship

In nobody’s wildest imagination is this team, right now, a team likely to have any sort of success in the postseason against teams that are not only better stocked with talent, but also not mired in inconsistency and flat-out poor play.

Chief among the Cubs’ woes is an offense that once ranked among the elite and is now firmly bottom-tier.

Frustration has boiled over with their sudden feeble-hitting ways, resulting in fan unrest and the return of boo birds to Wrigley Field.

Jed Hoyer vows more of the same

Stoking the fires of the frustration is an organization that seems to be taking this fall from grace way too coolly and dispassionately.

“We play every day for six months and there’s going to be, even with a really good team, you have really good stretches and you’re going to have some stretches where you’re grinding,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told Marquee Sports Network before Monday’s 7-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. “And we have been now for a bit offensively.”

When prodded on the possibility of a shakeup in the lineup or maybe some strategic benching of struggling hitters, Hoyer fell back on his personal analytics-driven narrative.

“I’m going to give an answer that will frustrate people, but hit your best players at the top of the lineup,” Hoyer said. “Hit them the most often. I was taught that 25 years ago by Bill James when we’re talking about lineup construction. I think you want to avoid clusters of handedness to make it easy on the opponent.

“…We have a lot of analytics, we have a lot of projection systems, and in general, just fall back on you hit your best players most often and avoid clusters of handedness to make it easy on the opponent, is sort of the simplest way to go about it.

“Hit your best players the most often is really simple, and it works.”

Except, it’s clearly NOT working.

Among the Cubs’ best hitters, Kyle Tucker is hitting .148 in August, Pete Crow-Armstrong is hitting .154, and Michael Busch is hitting .151.

No apparent solutions

“What I’m really saying is I just think that the answers to our struggles are not lineup construction,” Hoyer continued. “I think sometimes you can simplify it down to, our best players haven’t been producing at the level they were in the first half…That’s the reason that we’re not scoring as many runs.”

Well, no duh. The question is how to fix this downward dynamic. As of right now, they’ve just barely even addressed the issue beyond a “We’re good, we’ll get good again” response with manager Craig Counsell’s decision to bench Tucker for a “reset.” For almost two months now, they’ve only been talking about how good the team is– as the team sank lower and lower.

When push comes to shove, the Cubs leadership always seems to fall back on the “We’ll be fine…We’re having bad luck” narrative. Well, having bad luck, suddenly, all of the time, clearly indicates that luck is not really a factor.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a streak like this,” Hoyer said of the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers, via The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg. “I mean, give them a lot of credit. I wish we were on that kind of streak. We’re not. They are.”

The secret to the Brewers’ streak is easy to identify. They are playing good baseball. They are playing like a team and executing consistently. The Cubs aren’t doing any of that. And, sadly, there doesn’t seem to be any burning desire among team leadership to change course.

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The Chicago Cubs are seriously down on their luck.

The team has posted a feeble 3-7 record in their last 10 games and has fallen 9 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division. They’re also now in danger of losing their top NL Wild Card seat to either the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres, who are currently battling for first place in the NL West.

Things could seemingly not get worse for the slumping Cubs. But, oh yeah, they absolutely could get much worse. Here are three nightmare scenarios that should have Cubs fans on pins and needles for the rest of the season.

A pitching collapse

The Cubs are walking the tightrope when it comes to their pitching staff, counting on good fortune and a touch of magical thinking to keep everyone healthy and effective.

In the rotation, Matthew Boyd has established himself as the ace in the absence of Justin Steele. His 2.46 ERA has been a godsend for a staff sent into a bit of a free fall when Steele went down with a season-ending elbow injury and Shota Imanaga hit the IL for several weeks about a month later.

However, the 34-year-old Boyd, who has a history of injury and underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-2023, is at 142.2 innings pitched, his highest total since 2019. Last season with the Cleveland Guardians, he managed only 50.1 innings between the regular season and the postseason. Prior to the season, after signing him to a 2-year deal as a free agent, the Cubs targeted 120 innings as Boyd’s realistic season goal. Necessity has forced Boyd to go well beyond that target and there exists a distinct possibility of a breakdown at some point.

Also facing durability issues is rookie Cade Horton, who has been a true revelation, especially over his last several starts. The 23-year-old is at 114 innings between the minors and the majors (85 in Chicago and 29 in Iowa), well beyond what he’s thrown at any point of his young career.

In last year’s injury-shortened season, he could only muster 34.1 innings. In his previous three minor league seasons, he’s never pitched more than 88.1 innings. Manager Craig Counsell already has the young star on somewhat of a pitch count, attempting to negate the possibility of injury or fatigue.

Keep in mind, as well, that Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad are also coming off lengthy stints on the IL.

Going into the bullpen, there are several question marks, but none as potentially devastating as the possible mess when it comes to the closer. Daniel Palencia has had a breakthrough year, coming up from the minors in mid-April to eventually earn his spot as the closer. The 25-year-old Palencia has been spectacular in the role, but it needs to be pointed out that this is his first serious major league run and, most definitely, his first time in such a high-stress position. His 5.40 ERA in August so far could be a sign of mental/physical fatigue.

PCA injury

After a first half of the season full of accolades, record-setting, and talk of being an emerging legend, the second half has been a humbling and likely frustrating run for Pete Crow-Armstrong. Add to that the Cubs’ general offensive drought since late June, along with their tumble from first place, and you get a recipe for disaster when it comes to the young star. The 23-year-old PCA has noticeably been pressing of late, diving for uncatchable balls in center field and taking some additional gambles at the plate and on the bases. When a player presses too hard, accidents often follow. The last thing the Cubs would want is to lose Crow-Armstrong for the rest of this season or beyond.

No playoffs

It didn’t take long for the Brewers to put a lot of distance between themselves and the Cubs atop the NL Central. Lost in the first place takeover, however, is the fact that the Padres have also been on a tear. With the Padres and Dodgers now tied for first place in the NL West, the Cubs are the NL Wild Card no. 1 seat due only to a statistical technicality.

Both the Padres and Dodgers are a half-game better in the standings than the Cubs, who will soon most likely have to settle for the no. 2 Wild Card seat. Below the Cubs, the New York Mets are just 4.5 games behind and the Cincinnati Reds are 5 games behind. If the Cubs keep on their downward trajectory, they may find themselves out of the playoff picture entirely.

So, yes, things could get even worse. Cross your fingers.

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The Chicago Cubs lost another one on Friday– another one that they really couldn’t afford to lose.

By dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker to the previously free-falling Pittsburgh Pirates, the team now falls to 9 games behind the first place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division. Maybe, most important at this point, the Cubs are tentatively holding on to the top NL Wild Card spot on a pure statistical technicality as the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are currently tied atop the NL West.

No doubt, these are tough times in Cubbie land, as the Wrigley Field boos on Friday clearly showed.

In Chicago’s latest stumble, the team failed to overcome a 3-2 deficit heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, even after a Pete Crow-Armstrong single set the stage for a possible comeback (PCA would be thrown out in a steal attempt, over-sliding second base).

The Crow-Armstrong miscue took the juice out of any comeback energy and resulted in another late season “L.”

The no-comeback Chicago Cubs

The inability to stage a comeback in the loss to the lowly Pirates wasn’t exactly unexpected given the team’s current form. Actually, most who follow the team have noticed this trend towards going down and staying down.

Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network, however, put some numbers behind the off-putting vibe:

“The Cubs have not had a comeback victory since July 2, a span of 35 games. It is the longest such streak in franchise history since at least 1901.”

Ouch. That seems to sting all the more when it’s put into black and white like that.

The Cubs’ absolute inability to generate any sort of sustained offensive surge is the general culprit for the team’s doldrums. The drought has created scenarios where the team is now almost always behind in the score at some point.

Horrible with runners in scoring position

Specifically, though, the team’s lack of comeback mojo is a result of their utter inability to deliver with runners in scoring position. In their last two games– losses versus the Pirates and the Toronto Blue Jays– the offense was a meager 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position, with only one of those hits actually resulting in a run. If the Cubs had just managed two more hits in this run, the pair of one-run losses could’ve been victories instead.

If one goes back further, that same pattern shows itself over and over again, especially since late June.

Manager Craig Counsell, who has tried switching up the lineup and strategically benching slumping players, has no real answers as to how to make his hitters– who were killing opposition pitching earlier in the year– start hitting again.

The Cubs front office failed to deliver impact reinforcements at the trade deadline. So, now, all Counsell and the Cubs can really do is try to wring better results from a team that has relatively suddenly gone dry.

Craig Counsell speaks

“Consistency is something that we have to offer,” Counsell told reporters after Friday’s loss. “You can’t fall into (thinking) it’s that bad. You can’t fall into that thought because nothing bad has happened. You get trapped into results. Of course, we know results are what matter here. This is a results business. You understand that. But I think for us to focus on results is harmful.

“Focus on the things that contribute to us being good. Those are the right things to focus on. Those things make you better. It’s hard. I get it, it’s hard. But for those guys in there, you got to keep them on that, man, because that’s what’s going to get you to a better place.”

In short, the only strategy going forward seems to be: “Be better, Cubs.”

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The Chicago Cubs are now 7.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division. Are people still keeping track of the divisional standings?

Unless something crazy-magical happens over the final stretch of the season, the Cubs will have to settle for a Wild Card seat and hope for the best. The way things have been going, though, it might be a rough ride to even a Wild Card spot.

This has been a .500 team for quite awhile now and the occasional hint of a turnaround in recent days/weeks has usually been followed by a return to poor form. Since about the middle of June, Chicago has gone from en elite machine en route to a deep postseason run to a team hoping to not be pushed out of the playoff picture entirely.

Chicago Cubs’ offensive woes are cause of team slump

The culprit for this prodigious fall from grace is the flat-lining offense. And as the Cubs’ collective slump advances, it actually seems to be getting worse.

This month of August, specifically, has been horrible for what the team considered its core of offensive threats. Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Kyle Tucker, and Pete Crow-Armstrong– often the team’s front-4 hitters in the lineup– are hitting a collective .156 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs through August 13.

If not for the surge of rookie third baseman Matt Shaw and a taxed pitching staff that has mostly held its ground, things would be looking even uglier than they are right now.

PCA in the spotlight

One of the more frustrating fails this month is Crow-Armstrong, who is hitting .073 in August with no home runs and no RBIs.

PCA’s struggles are especially noticeable when juxtaposed with the “MVP” hyperbole surrounding him throughout the first part of the season.

The tumble off the pedestal has pushed media into asking “what’s happening” questions and forced “PCA” into a bit of baseball introspection.

“There’s nothing glaring,” Crow-Armstrong told Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic when asked about any possible changes to his approach. “On the inside, I think it’s been harder for a little longer than just a week. But that’s also because of my standards and expectations. I’m not chasing all that much. It’s just results-based. It’s a result-oriented game, obviously.”

Manager Craig Counsell hasn’t really addressed the young talent’s recent slump, but he did offer a blanket response to the team’s overall offensive doldrums, which leaned slightly into his usual “we’re good, we’re just having bad luck” reasoning.

“The name of the game is to square the ball up and get on base and create rallies,” Counsell said. “You got to do it in all sorts of situations and all times of the year. And we’re just in a little rut right now where we’re not doing it.”

But Counsell’s quote was from more than a week ago. The “rut” is still ongoing and he’s now leaning heavier into the “we’re good, we’re just having bad luck” routine.

No room for normal growing pains

There’s nothing wildly unusual about a young player going into an extended slump. It can’t be forgotten that, even with all the accolades, PCA is 23. Having the rest of the offense around him slump simultaneously– in the heat of a pennant race– is surely not helping him work through his own issues.

So, at this point, what can one do but grasp at Counsell’s narrative and hope that Crow-Armstrong (and almost every other hitter) starts getting better results from what they’re doing?

On the record, the young star is understanding of his lack of results, but not necessarily OK with it.

“Nothing is really wrong,” Crow-Armstrong affirmed. “I just suck at hitting baseballs sometimes right now. That’s OK. It doesn’t feel OK when I’m on the field and want to help my team win. You’d like to be the kick-starter or game-changer.”

Whatever the case, PCA needs to be present and fully actualized for the Cubs to have the best possible chance at a postseason run. No more MVP or extension talk, he has to hit and run and return to his role as a big play-maker.

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The Chicago Cubs have gone 4-6 over their last ten games and 10-12 since the All-Star break. Their division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers, have made up an insane amount of ground in the division thanks to another improbable winning streak. And the once high octane Cubs offense has gone dormant, with frustration starting to become visible.

Chicago Cubs frustration captured in viral video

During the Cubs most recent 5-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, the offense went 1-9 with runners in scoring position and they missed out on a huge scoring opportunity in the seventh inning. With the two runners on base, Michael Busch plated their only run with a RBI single, but after that Seiya Suzuki struck out, Kyle Tucker grounded out, Carson Kelly walked to load the bases, and then Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out swinging.

Frustration was captured on camera after both Tucker and Crow-Armstrong’s at-bats as both chucked their helmets. Tucker chucked his in the dugout whereas Crow-Armstrong near the batters box.

The Cubs offense is frustrated tonight in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/OpOBNkU0MH

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 13, 2025

Not capitalizing with runners in scoring position

All teams go through moments throughout a season where they seemingly cannot buy a hit with runners in scoring position. The Cubs are going through one of those stretches right now, as they are just 8-49 (.163) in such situations over their last seven games.

Cubs players comment on the offense struggling to score runs

Following the loss to the Blue Jays, a few Cubs players discussed the team’s offense with the media. “We’re giving ourselves some opportunities throughout the game, and just not able to capitalize right now,” said shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Pete Crow-Armstrong added “You’ve got to take pride in owning the fact that we’re all major league baseball players, and a part of a really good offense.”

With the loss, the Cubs record stands at 67-51, which is third best in the National League, but currently trail the Brewers by 7.5 games in the division.  Milwaukee and Chicago have a pivotal five game series coming up August 18-21.

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Despite a recent slump, the Chicago Cubs have put together a strong 2025 campaign and remain firmly in the playoff hunt. With a deep and talented roster, they have the tools to make a serious postseason run. On top of that, several players are in the mix for major end-of-season awards, highlighting just how impactful this team has been.

Four Chicago Cubs individuals in line for end-of-season awards

• Pete Crow-Armstrong – Gold Glove and Silver Slugger

This year, it will be hard to find a better center fielder both offensively and defensively than Pete Crow-Armstrong. At the plate, he has mashed 27 home runs, driven in 78 batters, and has an .840 OPS. Defensively, he leads all of baseball in defensive runs saved (DRS) with 19 and is rated as 18 outs above average. Gold glove and silver slugger awards seem inevitable.

• Nico Hoerner – Gold Glove

Two years ago, Nico Hoerner brought home his first gold glove award as a second baseman. In 2025, he is inline to reclaim his stake as the best defender at the position. He currently leads all second baseman in DRS with 15.

• Kyle Tucker – Silver Slugger

Newcomer Kyle Tucker should be in play for a silver slugger. Among qualified National League right fielders, his top competition includes Juan Soto of the New York Mets and Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tucker currently leads that group in hits (111), doubles (21), batting average (.271), and on-base percentage (.384).

• Craig Counsell – Manager of the Year

Despite numerous seasons of success, Craig Counsell has never won Manager of the Year. 2025 may finally be the year as the skipper has his team in a good position, despite having to overcome lengthy injuries to guys like Justin Steele, Javier Assad, and Miguel Amaya. The National League manager of the year race may come down to Counsell and Pat Murphy, with whoever wins the division taking home the hardware.

As the regular season winds down, the Cubs are not only eyeing a postseason berth but also positioning several players for individual recognition. With standout performances across the roster, Chicago could finish 2025 with more than just playoff hopes — they might walk away with some of baseball’s most prestigious awards.

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The future of the North Side is here! The Chicago Cubs Pete Crow-Armstrong Medium Bighead Bobblehead brings one of baseball’s rising stars to life in a bold, larger-than-life design that’s impossible to miss.

Standing 6.5 inches tall, this handcrafted and hand-painted collectible features PCA in his iconic Cubs pinstripes, glove ready and arm raised in classic outfield swagger.

From the oversized head to the custom “PETE” nameplate and Cubs logos on the eye-catching base, every detail celebrates the next big name in Chicago baseball. Limited to just 125 pieces, this is more than a bobblehead — it’s a statement. Whether it’s repping your favorite prospect or leveling up your Cubs collection, this one’s a must-have for serious fans. Snag yours before they’re gone — because this Bighead’s going fast!

Pete Crow-Armstrong’s new Cubs bobbelehead

Pete Crow-Armstrong Chicago Cubs Medium bighead  – $55

Edition Size: 125

Where to Find more Chicago Cubs Gear?

The bobblehead above is just a sampling of the full selection of Cubs merchandise offered by FOCO. FOCO is the prime location for officially licensed sports merchandise, and their love of the game is seen in all their products from their apparel to their collectibles. If you don’t like what you see above, check out hundreds of additional options with FOCO’s full Cubs catalog.

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The Chicago Cubs welcome the Kansas City Royals into Wrigley for a three-game series. This series could prove to be a scouting mission for the Cubs, as the Royals have a few players whom the Cubs could trade for.

The Cubs did make a few moves before the series kicked off with the Royals, recalling right-hander Ben Brown from Triple-A and optioning right-handed reliever Ethan Roberts to make room for Brown. The Cubs made another minor move before tonight’s game, this time coming to their starting lineup and one of their key run producers, Pete Crow-Armstrong, as he will be missing tonight’s game.

The Chicago Cubs make a surprising change to their lineup with the injury to PCA

The Cubs have been busy juggling their roster, with Cubs beat reporter Patrick Mooney saying PCA will miss tonight’s game against the Royals with what manager Craig Counsell calls a bruised knee. Mooney also reported that the Cubs’ usual designated hitter, Seyia Suzuki, will fill in at centerfield for the injured PCA.

“Pete Crow-Armstrong is dealing with a bruised right knee, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, an issue that will make Seiya Suzuki their starting center fielder tonight at Wrigley Field.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong is dealing with a bruised right knee, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, an issue that will make Seiya Suzuki their starting center fielder tonight at Wrigley Field.

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) July 21, 2025

Suzuki has never played centerfield in four seasons with the Cubs, and has one game of experience while playing in the NPB.

Hopefully, this isn’t a long-term issue for PCA

Hopefully, this bruise to PCA’s knee will not linger or affect him long-term, as the Cubs will need him to be healthy if they’re to make a playoff run. PCA is one of the front-runners to win the National League MVP and needs to have as many at-bats and appear in as many games as he can to win the award.

In 98 games this season, PCA is hitting .270/.306/.556 for an OPS and OPS+ of .861 and 143. PCA is also the National League’s leader in WAR at 5.7.

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Did you know that the Chicago Cubs were approached by the New York Mets two years ago in an attempt to get Pete Crow-Armstrong back?

Well, that’s certainly a new one for all but the most inside of insiders.

Back at the 2021 trade deadline, the Cubs acquired Mets 2020 first round pick Crow-Armstrong for shortstop Javier Baez and pitcher Trevor Williams. But, apparently, the Mets never quite got over the loss of the young talent.

The Mets wanted PCA back

SNY MLB insider Andy Martino recently told the tale of when a repentant Mets front office tried to reacquire PCA in a trade for first baseman Pete Alonso back in 2023.

Per Martino:

“Under the Billy Epler regime, this is the trade deadline in 2023, you remember, of course, they traded Max Scherzer, and David Robertson, and Justin Verlander, and Tommy Pham. They weren’t that eager to trade Pete Alonso at that time. In fact, that got in the news a little, and that was overstated at the time…But they felt like, because of what they were doing as an organization, they owed it to themselves to at least take calls on (Pete Alonso) and see if anyone would offer something they couldn’t pass up.

They didn’t get close to anything, but in the Mets’ office, they hatched an idea that was like ‘Let’s just see.’ So they called the Cubs and said, ‘What about Pete (Crow Armstrong) for Pete (Alonso)? Send him back our way.’ Because the Cubs liked Alonso. And obviously, that’s a very short conversation … (as the Cubs shot them down).”

Wow.

Mets were reluctant to trade PCA in the first place

At the time of the trade, the Mets were not exactly eager to move Crow-Armstrong, but the team was pushing for a playoff spot and field-ready talent was needed for that push. Plus, the then-19-year-old was still recovering from shoulder surgery.

“I didn’t want to give him up, but the team deserved reinforcements at the deadline, PCA was hurt — out for the season — but we really liked him,” former New York Mets president Sandy Alderson told the New York Post.

The rest, as they say, was history. But it was a history where a lot of stars had to align and a lot of good mojo had to swirl the Cubs’ way.

For example, the Cubs hadn’t even targeted Crow-Armstrong when they began talking Baez trade with the Mets. They wanted top pitching prospect Matt Allan in the deal, but New York refused to offer him up. Mets acting GM at the time, Zack Scott, told MLB insider Ken Rosenthal that the Cubs were “mixed on PCA,” apparently because of his young age and his injury status. There was also some concern whether he’d be able to consistently hit major league pitching.

Stars aligned for Chicago Cubs in PCA trade

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer recently told Rosenthal that if PCA were healthy at the time, he might’ve been off the table.

“We were really fortunate. If he’s playing, we’re never getting him,” Hoyer said. “His defensive numbers would have been great, and they probably would have said no.”

Everything fell into place, though, and the Cubs are repeating the benefits. Meanwhile, Chicago’s initial trade target, Allan, has been sidelined with elbow injuries that required two separate surgeries and has just started pitching again at the lower levels of the Mets’ organization.

Not acquiring Alonso when he was offered in 2023, by the way, opened the door for the acquisition of Michael Busch, who is having a breakthrough year at a fraction of what Alonso would cost.

At the end of the day, the PCA-to-the-Cubs story had a fairy tale ending for the North Siders, despite the front office getting a clear shot at messing it all up in 2023.

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Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been charming Cubs fans for the last couple seasons. And, this year, he’s also been exciting with his on-field play. On Tuesday, at Truist Park in Atlanta, in his first-ever All-Star Game, the 23-year-old charmed the baseball world.

Officially, in the box score stats, “PCA” was 1-for-2, with a double laced to right field off New York Yankees lefty Carlos Rodon in his first at bat.

Off the stat sheet, though, the young star showed an international audience just why he’s regarded as an emerging star in the sport.

PCA’s in-game message to kids

First and foremost, how could anyone not get a genuine case of the warm and fuzzies from this exchange during the third inning, with Crow-Armstrong mic’d up by Fox Sports?

Fox Sports: For the kids that want to be like you, what would you tell them?

PCA: I hope you be exactly how you are supposed to be. You know, I think I’ve dealt with trying to emulate other people and focusing a little bit less on myself and what make me great and unique and I think that is so important for kids that play this game or don’t to understand that, you know, there’s so much to offer and everybody’s so nice and unique in their own individual way

Fox Sports: Pete, you are a gift to this game. You don’t change, okay?

National treasure, Pete Crow-Armstrong. pic.twitter.com/x43DDrucQs

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 16, 2025

Tying PCA to Chicago Cubs legends

There were also plenty of Cub tie-ins swirling around the young star at the Midsummer Classic, attaching this new generation asset to the 2016 World Series Cubs legends.

Crow-Armstrong and Javy Baez, who was traded to the New York Mets in 2021 in the deal that brought PCA to the Cubs, embraced prior to the game and chatted it up a bit.

Former Cub and current Philadelphia Philly Kyle Shwarber, who won the Ted Williams All-Star Game MVP Award for his game-winning heroics for the National League at the first-ever All-Star Game swing-off, talked PCA up as Chicago’s new Baez-like spark plug.

“Being able to talk to PCA a little bit, it does remind you of (Báez) a little bit,” Schwarber told the Chicago Tribune. “He does create havoc out there on the base paths and in the game in general — the fun things, like going first to third and stealing on some crazy (play), rounding third and going home on a slow roller. Those are things you’d remember Javy would do. Javy’s got that baseball instinct, and I think (Crow-Armstrong) has got that, too. It’s fun to see how the Chicago faithful have kind of taken him in and lifted him up to be that type of player.

Charm and likability

All in all, Crow-Armstrong showcased his charm and general likability across the board.

He talked up Shohei Ohtani, as if he were a wide-eyed fan:

“I admire the heck out of Shohei. I think he exudes the most joy that I’ve been around on a baseball field. He is, in my opinion, a top-two player in this league.”

“I love the moments where he makes you feel like he’s a man amongst boys. And then he comes back in the dugout and he’s just goofy, keeps it super light and regular. With all of the stuff that comes with being him, I just respect the way he goes about his business and the respect he shows everybody else.”

He showcased his “PCA-ness” to the Marquee Sports Network, right after what could’ve been a heady walk down the MLB All-Star Game red carpet on Tuesday with his girlfriend Hailey Lavelle.

“It’s the best. It’s my first red carpet. I’m glad I’ve got someone good-looking with me to hold my sweaty hands.”

There was also a mic’d up (and essentially deafened) PCA’s “I got, I got it…ohhh, shoot…you’re right there” to Cubs teammate Kyle Tucker, who was playing left field in Tuesday’s game.

Kyle Tucker took a flyball away from PCA as he was mic’d up

(via @MLBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/AZ1mSbD6iv

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 16, 2025

Now, however, Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs get back down to business, fending off the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division and fighting their way towards the postseason.

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Last night, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game took place, and three Chicago Cubs were selected to participate in this season’s Midsummer Classic. Cubs outfielders Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker were the only two players to play in last night’s game, as left-hander and Cubs breakout starter Matthew Boyd opted not to pitch and rest instead.

“Chicago, you should be so proud.”

Chicago, you should be so proud. pic.twitter.com/bIMkA2At4q

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 15, 2025

All three have been performing well for the Cubs this season and deserve to be named All-Stars. PCA and Boyd have had breakout seasons, and Tucker has put up his usual MVP numbers. Tucker, PCA, and Boyd were three of this year’s 81 All-Stars, and because of their dominance in the first half, Tucker and PCA landed in the top ten for the best All-Stars this season, while Boyd landed at 36, ahead of some notable names.

The Chicago Cubs have two players land in the top 10 for the best All-Stars

In last night’s game, both Tucker and PCA performed well, with PCA going 1-2 with a double, and Tucker going 0-2, but made a spectacular sliding catch in the outfield. The game ended in a tie, which led to a home run swing-off, with former Cub Kyle Schwarber winning it for the National League.

“Experience of a lifetime.”

Experience of a lifetime. pic.twitter.com/y3WtIfTQ9B

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 16, 2025

Tucker and PCA are two of the top players in the National League, and according to Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly, he ranks Tucker and PCA as the eighth and tenth best players of the 81 All-Stars, while ranking Boyd 36th. Boydat 36 ranks higher than the Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, last year’s NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves, and the Washington Nationals’ Ace MacKenzie Gore. Kelly explained that Boyd’s health was the main reason for ranking him at 36, as he has shown to be durable after having Tommy John surgery in 2023.

Kelly on Boyd via Bleacher Report:

“Matthew Boyd pitched so well in eight starts for the Cleveland Guardians last season that the Cubs took a chance on him in free agency by giving him a two-year, $29 million deal with a mutual option for a third year.

Not only is he healthy—which often has been an issue in his career—but in his age-34 season, he’s also having a career year on the north side. He is 10-3 with a 2.34 ERA and 3.17 FIP across 111.2 innings pitched.”

The Cubs need these three to have great second halves

The Cubs enter the All-Star break in a tight race for the division, as they have a one-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for the lead in the National League Central, and a 6.5-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. With the All-Star Game and draft in the rearview, the Cubs can now focus on making trades to better their roster.

The Cubs will need to add a top-tier starter and possibly another bat to extend their lead over the Brewers and get past some other teams in the National League. Outside of adding, the Cubs will need both Tucker and PCA to continue their MVP paces at the plate, and Boyd to be that steady hand in the rotation to win the Central and have a deep playoff run.

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Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is set to make his first All-Star Game appearance this July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta– and he’s making it as a starter.

The mid-season fan-driven recognition is icing on the cake the young star has baked over what has been a remarkable 2025 season so far. With 25 home runs, 27 stolen bases, and 70 RBIs so far, to go along with elite-level defensive play, the 23-year-old has emerged as one of the brightest and most compelling young stars in a sport that has been in desperate need of electrifying young talent.

Along with his 40-40 pace and the rampant MVP talk circling around him, he’s also playing for an exciting Cubs team which currently sits atop the NL Central Division.

Money’s on the way for PCA

Now, “PCA” can count on some cold, hard cash to go along with his accolades.

According to an interim report recently issued to teams ahead of the All-Star break, Crow-Armstrong is on pace to get a bonus of $1,091,102 from this season’s performance-based $50 million pre-arbitration MLB bonus pool– the largest individual share of the bonus pool to be issued, based on his NL-leading bWAR of 5.6.

Per ESPN:

“A total of 100 players will receive the payments, established as part of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement and aimed to get more money to players without sufficient service time for salary arbitration eligibility. The cutoff for 2025 was 2 years, 132 days of major league service…Players who signed as foreign professionals are excluded.

As part of the labor agreement, a management-union committee was established that determined the WAR formula used to allocate the bonuses after awards. (A player may receive only one award bonus per year, the highest one he is eligible for.)…”

Money in the pool

Also, per ESPN:

“A player earns $2.5 million for winning an MVP or Cy Young award, $1.75 million for finishing second, $1.5 million for third, $1 million for fourth or fifth or for making the All-MLB first team. A player can get $750,000 for winning Rookie of the Year, $500,000 for second or for making the All-MLB second team, $350,000 for third in the rookie race, $250,000 for fourth or $150,000 for fifth.”

Last year, Crow-Armstrong earned a $342,128 bonus from the same pool. The sophomore currently makes a base salary of $771,000.

“I was aware of it after last year, but I have no clue of the numbers,” Crow-Armstrong said of the bonus pool allotment. “I haven’t looked at it one time.”

Chicago Cubs and PCA, forever?

His actual salary, of course, will expand greatly when he becomes eligible for arbitration and it will absolutely explode when the young star is eligible for free agency. Cubs efforts to sign him to an extension before that explosion down the road have not been successful, but PCA insists that his goal is to remain a Cub throughout his career.

“That’s the goal,” Crow-Armstrong said in a recent interview, referring to his desire to stay in Chicago. “I think what’s important to me is being somewhere I feel convicted in winning at. And then obviously where I feel comfortable playing and living for a long period of time…

I absolutely think that Chicago is a place to do that for me. I already take so much pride in being a Cub, and what comes with that. Any way that we can get me here for a while, I think, would be ideal…

“And until then, I’m just focusing on this year. I would take a World Series this year over everything else, if I’m being honest. I see myself doing that here for years to come.”

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The Chicago Cubs have led a charmed 2025 baseball life when it comes to their position players, with only catcher Miguel Amaya suffering significant down time due to injury.

Their starting pitching, on the other hand, has suffered bad break after break with a season-ending injury to ace Justin Steele, a season-stalling injury to Javier Assad, and IL stints for both Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon.

The one thing you can count on in baseball is that baseball is utterly unpredictable, especially over the course of a grueling 162-game season.

In a recent Q&A with The Athletic, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer talked abut his hope for the best, prepare for the worst philosophy when it comes to keeping ahead of baseball’s unpredictability– a mindset that could be of utmost importance for what’s shaping up to be a special 2025.

“[Manager Craig] Counsell and I talk about that all the time,” Hoyer said. “That is a big part of the job, trying to see around corners. It’s not a great way to go through life, thinking about what could go wrong. But at the same time, you have to think about: ‘With these two injuries, what would we do in this situation?’ Because that is the nature of baseball. The best-case scenario doesn’t often happen.”

With that in mind, here’s a look at possible contingency plans for five full-on Cubs disasters:

Pete Crow-Armstrong goes down

One shudders to even bring something like this up. The 23-year-old PCA has been THAT essential to a raging Cubs offense and to the overall excitement of the season. But injuries happen and anyone who plays as hard as he does will always be one bad step away from bad things.

So, how do you replace a guy with true 40-40 potential and an elite glove? You don’t. The best you could hope for is to plug the hole and for the rest of the team to boost their game a bit to compensate for the loss.

A trade deadline acquisition could be in the cards if the injury were to happen before July 31. Even without a PCA injury, though, the Cubs would be wise to pick up a fourth outfielder at the deadline. Former Cub and current crosstown White Sox outfielder Mike Tauchman has been mentioned before as a low-cost backup outfielder.

Prospect Kevin Alcantara could also be brought up, if he isn’t traded by the deadline. Alcantara has played center field before and has the athleticism to do well in the spot.

Granted, Alcantara/Tauchman is not much of a contingency plan for the loss of Crow-Armstrong, but barring some sort of blockbuster trade for a CF rental, that’s about the best the Cubs would be able to do for such a monumental loss.

Daniel Palencia falters

The 25-year-old Palencia has been a beyond-pleasant surprise this year, stepping in to win the closer role and answering one of the Cubs’ biggest questions leading into the 2025 campaign.

But the reality is that he’s never had this level of major league success before and is completely new to the closer role at this level. There’s always a chance that a young pitcher could falter and wilt under the pressure later in the season and, especially, in the heat of a pennant race.

The Cubs are reportedly exploring the acquisition of a co-closer via trade, but that may not be a realistic pickup given their much more pressing need for starting pitching.

In house, the Cubs would probably give the 36-year-old Ryan Pressly another go in the closer role. Somewhat stale performances and an 8-earned run early-May thrashing cost him the gig, but he’s posted a 1.26 ERA since that disastrous outing and has slowly moved his way back into the Craig Counsell circle of trust. He’s still not blowing anyone away in his appearances, but he has the experience to get a second crack at the closer gig, albeit with a short leash and a closer-by-committee plan C behind him.

A Kyle Tucker injury

The backup plan to losing Tucker is probably an obvious one. Seiya Suzuki would move back into right field. The designated hitter slot would then be filled by a rotating crew of position players given an off day from their field duties. Bat-heavy prospects like Moises Ballesteros or Jonathon Long could also be brought up.

You wouldn’t really be able to replace an offensive linchpin like Tucker at the trade deadline, but the Cubs could pick up a solid corner outfielder on the cheap to fill the roster spot. This is all working under the assumption, of course, that top prospect Owen Caissie will be traded at the deadline and not available for a call-up.

Another starting rotation loss

If the Cubs lost Matthew Boyd or Shota Imanaga (again), they’d be in a deep, deep mess, even if they do trade for a front-of-rotation starter by July 31.

The Cubs would cross their fingers that Javier Assad makes it back and can immediately contribute come mid-August. Other than that, the best they’d be able to muster would be a Triple-A call-up that far exceeds expectations or a starter-possible reliever stepping up, like Chris Flexen, Drew Pomeranz, or Brad Keller.

Losing Michael Busch

Busch has been excellent this year, both offensively and defensively, even though his accomplishments have been overshadowed to a great degree by PCA and Tucker. But his absence would be deeply felt if he were to fall to injury.

Iowa Cub Jonathon Long would probably be called up and given a shot at first base. Bat-first Moises Ballesteros could also get the call.

Among those on the 26-man roster right now, only Justin Turner and Jon Berti can really play the position, but neither is a long-term solution.

Any of these Cubs disasters would mean bad things for the team’s shot at making a deep postseason run this year. None, however, would be instant death sentences as long as the team maintains its resilience and the coaching staff/front office keeps making smart moves.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has displayed a tremendous ability to impact the game with power and speed this year. His most recent multi-home run game against the Minnesota Twins gave him 25 long balls on the year. If you pair that performance with his 27 stolen bases, you get a franchise and MLB record from the young star.

Pete Crow-Armstrong sets a Chicago Cubs franchise record

According to Jordan Bastian at MLB.com, Crow-Armstrong just became the fastest Cubs player to reach a 25 home run/25 stolen base season. He accomplished this feat in 92 games this year. Per Sarah Langs, this actually is the fourth fastest a player has ever reached a 25/25 season in MLB history. Eric Davis (69 games), Alfonso Soriano (91 games), and Bobby Bonds (91 games) are the only players to ever do this quicker.

PETE CROW-ARMSTRONG HAS 2 HOME RUNS TODAY & 25 ON THE SEASON

pic.twitter.com/RqUT0qTuXg

— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) July 10, 2025

A MLB record belongs to Pete Crow-Armstrong

According to OptaStats, Crow-Armstrong now has five multi-home run and five multi-stolen base games this year. He reached those marks faster than anyone in MLB history, as Ian Kinsler was previously the record holder at 110 games played. Crow-Armstrong is also just the seventh player in MLB history to have five multi home run and stolen base games in a single season.

A Kris Bryant record is in danger of being broken too

In 2015, rookie Kris Bryant launched 26 home runs during his first season. This amount of home runs are the most by a Cubs player under the age of 23. Crow-Armstrong, who has 25 long balls this year, should easily break this record, perhaps even in July. For reference, Bryant launched that 26th home run during game 141 his rookie season.

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The Chicago Cubs will be well represented at next Tuesday’s All-Star game, with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker starting in the outfield and Matthew Boyd likely to pitch an inning. The Cubs did have two players who got snubbed from making the team, with Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki having All-Star seasons.

Busch is playing like one of the best first basemen in baseball, while Suzuki is having his best season from a power perspective. Suzuki’s snubbing is quite interesting, as he is doing something before the All-Star break that only a few players have accomplished.

Seiya Suzuki joins elite company after All-Star snubbing

The case for why Suzuki should have made the All-Star Team continues to mount, as according to Marquee Sports Network, Suzuki is one of 67 players since 1933 to hit 25+ home runs and drive in 75+ RBI before the All-Star break. Of those 67, Suzuki is one of only five players to do it without getting named to an All-Star Team, joining Hall of Famers Frank Thomas (2000), Billy Williams (1970), and Hank Greenberg (1935) and one future Hall of Famer Ryan Howard (2008) to accomplish the feat.

”Since 1933, only 67 players have recorded 25+ HR and 75+ RBI before the All-Star break. Seiya Suzuki is one of 5 to not be named an All-Star.”

Since 1933, only 67 players have recorded 25+ HR and 75+ RBI before the All-Star break.

Seiya Suzuki is one of 5 to not be named an All-Star. pic.twitter.com/vYEsGrlOqP

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 7, 2025

Suzuki has hit .263/.319/.561 for an OPS and OPS+ of .880 and 148 in 86 games and is the leader in RBI in all Major League Baseball with 77. Seiya has also already surpassed his career highs in home runs (21), as he has 25 on the season, and could end up with 30+ or even 40+ by the end of the season.

The Chicago Cubs have one of the more undervalued bats in the league

Seiya is one of the undervalued bats in baseball, as he has shown to be one of the more consistent hitters from a power and average perspective. Looking at his Baseball Savant page, Suzuki ranks in the top percentiles in a few major categories, ranking in the 98th and 99th percentiles for barrel percentage (19.3%) and sweet-spot percentage (42.6%).

Suzuki also has one of the hardest average exit velocities, ranking in the 92nd percentile at 92.9mph. Seiya is doing this while being considered an “average player” for his bat speed and squared-up percentage (71st percentile). Seiya still has room to grow, and this power surge only feels like the beginning of something yet to come.

Though Seiya didn’t make his first career All-Star game, he can still have the last laugh with potentially having a high placing in the MVP voting.

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The Chicago Cubs need to tie up a contractual loose end right now and not let uncertainty drag on for the remainder of the season.

This isn’t in reference to extending right fielder Kyle Tucker and/or center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong– although either (or, preferably, both) would be incredible good news.

No, the contract that needs to be extended is that of Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer.

One need only look at the Cubs team currently being fielded to reach that conclusion.

Jed Hoyer’s Chicago Cubs track record

Hoyer’s trades for Michael Busch and Crow-Armstrong are looking like pure genius right about now. The 3-for-1 offseason trade for Tucker is also looking pretty good, even with the possibility of Tucker leaving after one year still dangling over the team’s collective head.

Then, there were the other decisions made by Hoyer and his staff.

He took a gamble on signing the oft-injured pitcher Matthew Boyd, who has been the team’s ace and will make his first All-Star appearance this year. He picked up catcher Carson Kelly, who has exceeded all offensive expectations. There was the 2024 signing of Shota Imanaga on a Cubs-friendly deal. There were all the savvy free agent acquisitions, ranging from Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki to Caleb Thielbar and Colin Rea. Also, nobody sniffs out time-worthy rehab projects like Hoyer and staff– the 2025 Cubs bullpen is an absolute testament to that fact.

He’s made the tough decisions

Hoyer has also been willing to make the tough decisions in what he feels is the best interest of the team. In 2021, for example, he traded away Yu Darvish as well as key World Series figures Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez, along with Craig Kimbrel, Joc Pederson, and Andrew Chafin for a haul of prospects to help rebuild a depleted farm system.

He cut ties with popular manager David Ross prior to the 2024 season in order to hire Craig Counsell.

None of these moves were all that popular at the time, but, for the most part, they all turned out to be the right decisions over the long haul.

It also needs to be pointed out that he made his moves and built this team while working under the frugal Ricketts family spending constraints. This year, he helped build the Cubs into this powerhouse while actually cutting the budget significantly.

This coming July 31 trade deadline will be crucial to the team’s postseason chances. Starting pitching is the urgency and it’ll be tough to pick up the arms needed in what looks to be a seller’s market. Settling Hoyer’s contract status could go a long way in terms of clearing up the big picture for any upcoming acquisitions.

Keeping it all together

Hoyer, himself, clearly wants to stay in Chicago.

“Listen, I’ve been here 14 years and I love this place,” Hoyer told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune in early April, prior to the Cubs’ home owner. “My family loves this place. Even driving into the ballpark today, it doesn’t get better than a home opener at Wrigley. I don’t think you can say that everywhere and I don’t take that for granted.”

MLB insider Jesse Rogers, in an early June appearance on ESPN Chicago’s Waddle and Silvy Show, stated his informed belief that Hoyer would be re-signed sooner rather than later.

Per Rogers:

“I would not be surprised if he’s given a new contract by the all-star break. I think he’s more likely to get it sooner rather than later, possibly before the trade deadline. It’s like kind of one of those things, if you’re gonna impact our team for years to come, let’s sign you up. I really could see that. Now, the other option is three days after the season ends. But I think he’s in line for that extension– three years, five years, whatever [Tom] Ricketts wants to do. But I would not be surprised if it happens between now and July 31st.”

Although Hoyer’s teams have yet to make the playoffs, the writing is clearly on the wall for a postseason run this year and, likely, beyond. It would probably be best for the team and for the organization as a whole if Hoyer is allowed to continue on with his vision.

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The Chicago Cubs have had many standouts this season, with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker being the Cubs’ top players and their top run producers. PCA and Tucker will represent the Cubs at this year’s All-Star Game as the starters in center and rightfield.

Outside of PCA and Tucker, the Cubs have had other players take a step forward, with designated hitter Seiya Suzuki and first baseman Michael Busch being the two most notable names. Suzuki and Busch are also putting together All-Star-type seasons, but will not likely be in the game with Shohei Ohtani leading the voting for the DH spot and Freddie Freeman and Pete Alonso receiving more votes than Busch at first base.

Busch had a great month of April, but a cold May, which led this writer to presume he was not meeting expectations. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth, as Busch has shattered expectations and looks to be a cornerstone player.

Michael Busch has shattered expectations for this season

Busch enters his second season with the Cubs after being traded to them from the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2024 offseason. Busch showed some promise in his first season with the Cubs, hitting .248 with an OPS and OPS+ of .775 and 118 in 152 games.

It wasn’t until this season that Busch put it all together, with President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer entrusting him to be their everyday first baseman after they traded away Cody Bellinger. Through 83 games this season, Busch has put up career highs in average (.293), on-base (.377), slugging percentage (.562), and OPS (.939), and he is on pace to set career highs in RBIs, home runs, and doubles.

Busch didn’t let his struggles in May carry over to June, which has been his best month so far, as he’s hit .309 with an OPS of 1.002 in 24 games. Busch also hit seven home runs in June, which he’s on pace to surpass this month after he hit three home runs against the St. Louis Cardinals in yesterday’s 11-3 victory.

According to Marquee Sports Networks’ Taylor McGregor, Busch has had an OPS of 1.138 since May 30, which is only lower than the New York Mets’ Juan Soto and New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, which further adds to why he is a cornerstone player.

“#Cubs Michael Busch has a 1.138 OPS since May 30. The 3rd-highest OPS in MLB over that span, behind only Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.”

#Cubs Michael Busch has a 1.138 OPS since May 30. The 3rd-highest OPS in MLB over that span, behind only Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) July 5, 2025

The Chicago Cubs could have at least three finalists for the MVP award

PCA and Tucker will likely be in the top five or ten for the MVP voting when the season is over, but Busch is quietly putting together a resume to finish in the top ten. Busch is sixth in baseball for OPS (.919), and he has seen his average slowly get closer to .300, which will propel him higher in the voting, as it is not every day you see a first baseman hit .300 or better.

Busch could potentially be the first Cubs first baseman to hit over .300, 30+ home runs, and drive in 100 RBIs in a season since Derrek Lee did it in 2005, when he hit .335 with 46 home runs and 107 RBIs in 158 games. Lee finished third in the MVP voting for that season, and if Busch continues to get better and gets close to Lee’s numbers, he would have a strong case made for him if he could accomplish the feat.

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The Chicago Cubs a little over halfway through the season have a record of 50-35 and hold a two-game lead in the National League Central over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs have been one of the better teams in the National League this season and that can be attributed to them having a strong offense and bullpen.

Having such a strong offense and bullpen, the Cubs could have a few of their player represent them at this year’s All-Star Game. With the All-Star Game only a couple of weeks away, voting on who will be in the game has closed, with the Cubs having a couple of their stars getting the honor of being named an All-Star Game starter.

The Chicago Cubs will have two players start at this year’s All-Star Game

The Cubs have a handful of players deserving of getting the nod to go to this year’s All-Star Game, but none have been more deserving than centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and rightfielder Kyle Tucker. PCA and Tucker were announced to be two of the three starting outfielders for the National League in this year’s All-Star Game. This All-Star selection for Tucker marks his fourth straight All-Star Game appearance and the first time he will start the game.

“King Tuck earns his 1st career starting assignment at the All-Star Game!”

King Tuck earns his 1st career starting assignment at the All-Star Game! pic.twitter.com/IuNrLZiLRL

— MLB (@MLB) July 2, 2025

For PCA, this will mark his first career All-Star Game selection and also be his first time being named as a starter. This season has been a breakout year for the 23-year-old, who leads the National League in WAR and is a candidate to win the National League MVP award.

“PETE CROW ALL-STAR

PCA has been voted in as an NL starting outfielder!”

PETE CROW ALL-STAR

PCA has been voted in as an NL starting outfielder! pic.twitter.com/eRq2csxaVY

— MLB (@MLB) July 2, 2025

PCA and Tucker couldn’t be more deserving of an All-Star nomination

PCA couldn’t be more deserving of being named a starter for the All-Star Game, as he is a frontrunner for the MVP award and is having the best season of his young career. PCA in 84 games this season has hit .265/.301/.537 for an OPS and OPS+ of .837 and 136, which are all career highs.

As for Tucker, he is once again putting up All-Star-type numbers and is also a top candidate to win the National League MVP award. Tucker, who has also played 84 games, has hit .290/.393/.533 for an OPS and OPS+ of .926 and 165.

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The Chicago Cubs’ woes continued on Tuesday night in St. Louis in an 8-7 loss to the division rival Cardinals in what was their fifth defeat in six games. With the setback, their lead in the NL Central Division falls to 2.5 games over both the Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers.

To make matters even more frustrating, even the team’s strengths seem to be faltering right now.

Specifically, the deciding flub of the evening came via defensive lapse by the team’s highly-touted elite defender and burgeoning superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong.

In the fourth inning, after the Cubs had taken the lead with a 5-run third and the Cards had re-taken the lead, the Cardinals’ Alec Burleson flied out to deep center field with one out and the speedy Masyn Winn on second base.

PCA loses track of outs, makes game-deciding flub

Crow-Armstrong made a routine catch of the fly ball, but thought it was the third out of the inning. He nonchalantly took in the ball and began to jog back to the dugout as Winn hustled around the bases to score the run in a rare two-base sacrifice fly advance.

PCA loses track of how many outs there are, and Masyn Winn scores from second on a flyout to center field. pic.twitter.com/vkCtZhDu1P

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 25, 2025

The eighth run scored because of the gaffe would turn out to be the winning run of the ball game.

After the game, when asked to confirm that he had lost track of the number of outs, the young star was direct and to the point.

“Simple as that,” Crow-Armstrong affirmed.

Chicago Cubs come to PCA’s defense

PCA’s manager and teammates were quick to jump to the defense of an asset who’s played spectacularly all season and who is especially adept with the glove, currently leading all National League outfielders in Outs Above Average (10).

“He lost track of the outs. It’s just a mistake,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told media.

“He’s been so good for us this year,” said losing pitcher Jameson Taillon, who gave up all eight runs over four innings pitched in Tuesday’s loss. “Obviously, he’s one of the best defenders in baseball. That’s just a freak thing. He takes a lot of pride in his defense, takes a lot of pride in being a great teammate, so I’m not too worried about it. I was more mad at myself for giving up the homers and giving up a lot of hard contact.

“I’m not too concerned with the eighth run I gave up. I’m concerned with all eight. I’m sure it won’t happen again. He’s been so good for us.”

A failed chance at redemption

Three innings after the mistake, Crow-Armstrong had a chance to play the hero role, but flubbed for a second time. With runners on the corners and one out, down by a run, an attempted bunt for a hit missed its mark and became just a simple sacrifice. The next batter, Dansby Swanson, would make the final out of the inning.

“That was an attempt for a little push bunt, trying to bunt for a base hit,” Crow-Armstrong told reporters. “But I didn’t do a good job of playing the game of baseball today.”

The 23-year-old, however, seemed to keep things in perspective following the tough loss.

“We got a very capable group, a lot of good leadership in this clubhouse,” Crow-Armstrong said. “This clubhouse has every ability to keep playing the way we were playing. Things haven’t gone our way, and we haven’t played the best baseball over the last couple weeks, but it’s just a two-week stretch that I’m positive we’re going to get past.”

As for how to come back from a bad, embarrassing day like Tuesday?

“Go to sleep and wake up,” he said.

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The Chicago Cubs have hit a rough patch lately, losing four out of their last five ballgames, and dropped game one of a critical four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals, losing 8-2. With their win last night, the Cardinals move to 3.5 games back of the lead for the National League Central, and could come closer to overtaking the Cubs if they win or sweep this series.

Outside of their recent struggles, the Cubs have done well this season. Their offense has led the charge, and their starting staff has held its own as they’ve dealt with some injuries. Naturally, Kyle Tucker is putting up his usual All-Star/MVP-type numbers, receiving some help from his teammate in the outfield, Pete Crow-Armstrong, who could overtake and beat Tucker out for this year’s MVP award.

The Cubs still have room to grow, which is why they will be one of the more active teams at this year’s Trade Deadline, with their most pressing need being to add another high-end starting pitcher. If the Cubs can add an arm like the Miami Marlins’ Cy Young award winner, Sandy Alcántara, they will further surpass the expectations set for them in the preseason.

The Chicago Cubs are defying expectations this season

The Cubs have been overachievers this season, and they can add to that by having a phenomenal Trade Deadline. After a decent offseason, with most of their improvements coming through trades, the Cubs were expected to be competitive in the Central and possibly make the playoffs, which they haven’t done in five seasons.

The Cubs got off to a rough start, losing the first two games of the season to the Los Angeles Dodgers when they played in Japan, but turned things around when they did well against some of the top teams in the National League (at the time). Since finding their groove, the Cubs have surpassed their preseason expectations, with Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report agreeing that the Cubs are doing better than expected, with his verdict being they’re “overachievers”.

Miller’s verdict via Bleacher Report:

“Whether the Cubs will be able to re-sign Kyle Tucker this offseason has already been a daily talking point, but he has been everything the Cubs hoped he would be when they gave up Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith and Hayden Wesneski for what might be just one year of his services.

While Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong have anchored one of the best top-to-bottom lineups in the majors, the Cubs have gotten more than enough pitching to get by, particularly from the veterans in their bullpen.

Ryan Pressly initially struggled, but he went six weeks without allowing a run prior to a blown save on Friday afternoon. Meanwhile the likes of Caleb Thielbar, Drew Pomeranz, Chris Flexen and Brad Keller have been just as stingy.”

The Cubs will need to have a strong second half

The first half of the 2025 season is almost coming to a close, with the All-Star break just 18 days away. The Cubs have put together a great first half, but if they want to make the playoffs and be in contention for the World Series, they need a strong second half.

Figuring out the rotation will be key, as the Cubs may need another middle-of-the-rotation arm, given Ben Browns recent struggles. The Cubs need to decide soon if Brown has what it takes to work through his struggles and be an effective starter, or if they will need someone else to do the job.

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The Chicago Cubs found a real gem when they acquired center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong in what has been called the great Cubs purge of 2021.

Brought over from the New York Mets as an injured 19-year-old top prospect for shortstop Javier Baez and pitcher Trevor Williams, the scouting reports for “PCA” glowed. But, in retrospect, they seem to have undersold the young talent’s full potential– at least if this season is an indication of who he really is.

This year, Crow-Armstrong has proven himself to be a true multi-tool threat, competing at an elite level at just about every aspect of the game.

Not only is the 23-year-old playing Gold Glove-caliber defense (despite a couple of wind-related miscues in Saturday’s game against the Seattle Mariners), but he’s crushing the ball with power and scorching on the base paths.

With 21 home runs and 23 stolen bases as of this writing, the sophomore star is projected to comfortably make the 40/40 club for this 2025 campaign. It’s not inconceivable that he could be a 50/50 guy.

Extending Pete Crow-Armstrong

A growing superstar in the sport, the Cubs have already tried to secure his career services with a contract extension. That offer, reportedly worth in the neighborhood of $60-$70 million, was declined at the time.

But that doesn’t mean PCA wants to play anywhere else when his current contract ends after the 2030 season.

In a recent interview with “Mully and Haugh” on 670 The Score, the Cubs center fielder affirmed that he intends on remaining a Cub for a lifetime of baseball.

“That’s the goal,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I think what’s important to me is being somewhere I feel convicted in winning at. And then obviously where I feel comfortable playing and living for a long period of time…

I absolutely think that Chicago is a place to do that for me. I already take so much pride in being a Cub, and what comes with that. Any way that we can get me here for a while, I think, would be ideal…

“And until then, I’m just focusing on this year. I would take a World Series this year over everything else, if I’m being honest. I see myself doing that here for years to come.”

An indispensable piece of the Chicago Cubs

PCA has definitely made himself an indispensable piece of the franchise in a short period of time. Fans will put extreme pressure on the Cubs front office to bend over backwards to extend him and keep him in Chicago over the career long haul.

However, the pending free agency of right fielder Kyle Tucker and the soon-to-be-ending contracts of Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner, and James Taillon (among others) complicate matters.

Still, Crow-Armstrong is proving to be a special talent and, therefore, one deserving of special consideration.

“He’s playing at as high a level that I’ve seen a center fielder play,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell recently told reporters. “We’re 70 games in but how he’s playing it, it’s as good as I’ve seen.”

“You don’t know what his ceiling is,” Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona told ESPN, not too long after once again being burned by the hot hand of the young asset.

“He can do it all. I hear people say he doesn’t walk and everything, but that’s probably how he’s a good hitter. He’s aggressive. He can beat you with his legs. He can hit the ball out of the ballpark. He can go get the ball in center.”

A lifetime Cub?

His explosive play and propensity for hitting everything– literally everything, way out of the strike zone or not— makes him a compelling player…and one who will fill seats for years and years to come.

If PCA wants to stay a Cub and the Cubs want to keep him, there’s no real reason a deal can’t be reached.

In a best case scenario, Chicago could clear up two business issues by celebrating a Tucker extension alongside a Crow-Armstrong extension, thereby cinching up two-thirds of an all-star outfield for at least the next decade.

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