‘It’s where I wanted to be’: Pete Crow-Armstrong embraces future with Chicago Cubs after signing extension
Pete Crow-Armstrong knew it was only a matter of when, not if, he would be able to find common ground with the Chicago Cubs on a long-term extension. Fourteen months after Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs started contract discussions, the sides agreed to a six-year, $115 million extension through the 2032 season. The deal was officially announced after Thursday’s 10-4 opening-day loss to the Washington Nationals, but that outcome didn’t damper the mood Friday when Crow-Armstrong, with his parents Matthew Armstrong and Ashley Crow in attendance, tried to explain what it means to become rooted in Chicago.
“That’s the best part is knowing that I’m here, it’s where I wanted to be,” Crow-Armstrong said Friday. “And I’m just glad that that idea could be created and made into some real thing, getting to be here for the next six years, knowing that I’m going to be somewhere is the coolest thing ever when it’s somewhere that I’ve really wanted to be for a long time. “There was never any pressure to get this done.
Bottom line, they knew I wanted to be here. So with that, whenever this got done, it was going to be the right time, and I’m just grateful it got done when it did. ” Column: Chicago Cubs got a bargain in Pete Crow-Armstrong’s new deal, even as he’s still growing as a player Crow-Armstrong’s deal notably does not include any club options, which is rare with this type of extension that buys out the first two years of free agency.
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said there were “a million different structures” the Cubs explored with Crow-Armstrong and his CAA agents. Those variations came down to either a deal that kept the 24-year-old with the organization for the rest of his career or through his first two free-agent years. Ultimately, they settled on the latter scenario.
“I’ve never really gave a s— about how much I’m getting paid,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Obviously I think it’s important to make sure other center fielders get paid what they should get paid. But I don’t play this game for that.
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