Extension talk is becoming all the rage in Chicago Cubs circles.
Most of the focus coming into the season, and deservedly so, was on trade acquisition and impending free agent Kyle Tucker. Tucker has been everything he was promised in Chicago so far, and he’ll make a boatload of money whether it’s from the Cubs via extension or someone else in free agency.
However, the man who plays to Tucker’s right every day is also becoming a big-name extension candidate.
Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is flourishing in his second full big-league season, and the question is how much it will take for the Cubs to lock him in long-term. And one baseball insider believes there’s a threshold at which a deal can be done.
On Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post urged the Cubs to work out an extension with Crow-Armstrong during an appearance on 670 The Score’s “The Mully & Haugh Show”, saying it should cost $100 million or less.
“You’ve gotta sign, whether you call him ‘PCA’ or ‘Pete,’ or whatever. You’re gonna get a good deal on him at this point, right? I mean, I don’t think he needs the money. His family, I don’t know if they’re well-to-do, but they’re doing well.”
“He’s made a little bit of money, he’s not desperate, but you’ve gotta do that, because you can do that for $100 million or less, which is nothing in today’s day and age.”
Crow-Armstrong, 23, flashed tantalizing speed and defensive skills in his first two seasons, with an occasional power boost at the plate. So far this season, though, he’s put up an .867 OPS and nine home runs in 35 games at the plate, helping him quickly accumulate 2.0 bWAR.
If this is the type of hitter Crow-Armstrong can be long-term, he’ll be a perennial All-Star and worth far more than $100 million to the Cubs in terms of both on-field production and marketing appeal.
Heyman is right. The Cubs would be wise to get something done soon. But the missing variable is how Crow-Armstrong (and his agent) values himself.