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Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs finalizing contract extension

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Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs finalizing contract extension

MESA, AZ — The Chicago Cubs officially made center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong the face of their team Monday night by finalizing a contract extension that will make the soon-to-be 24-year-old their longest-tenured player, two persons with direct knowledge of the deal told USA TODAY Sports.

The persons spoke on the condition of anonymity since the Cubs have not announced the contract.

Crow-Armstrong, who was scheduled to earn $894,000 this season, will now earn in excess of $100 million with his new deal, a person with direct knowledge of the contract said.

Crow-Armstrong, who turns 24 on Wednesday with one year and 170 days of major-league service, was not eligible for free agency until after the 2030 season.

The contract length is not yet known, but it will be at least six years and perhaps as long as nine years, tying him up to the franchise longer than any active Cubs player. San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill’s nine-year, $135 million extension last spring is the highest contract for a player with between one and two years of major-league service.

The Cubs’ projected payroll has jumped to about $221 million.

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The Cubs tried to lock up Crow-Armstrong a year ago with a $66 million offer, now is more than doubling that with his new deal. He will now be with the Cubs at least until 2031, eclipsing Alex Bregman, who signed a five-year, $175 million free agent contract this winter.

Crow-Armstrong, who earned an All-Star berth last summer, has emerged as one of the game’s brightest young stars, and perhaps the finest NL center fielder. He was on an MVP pace in the first half last season, hitting .265 with 25 home runs and 27 stolen bases, but tailed off during the second half, hitting just .216 with six homers and eight steals. He still wound up hitting 31 homers with 35 stolen bases, the first Cubs player to achieve the feat.

The Cubs believe he’s a superstar-in-waiting, which certainly deepens the pain for the New York Mets, who drafted him with their first pick in 2020, and then traded him a year later to the Cubs for shortstop Javier Baez and pitcher Trevor Williams. It will go down as one of the worst trades in Mets franchise history.

“The one thing with Pete that I always focus on,’’ Jed Hoyer, Cubs president of baseball operations, told reporters at the end of last season, “is when he’s not hitting or struggling offensively, he’s a great player. And when he’s hitting, he’s a superstar.”

Now, he’s being paid like one.

Follow Bob Nightengale on Bluesky and X @Bnightengale.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cubs, Pete Crow-Armstrong finalizing contract extension

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