Chicago Cubs reportedly finalizing an extension with star OF Pete Crow-Armstrong

Cubs and Sox fans could gain 22 pounds this season, study finds | ChicagoNOW

A new study says Cubs and Sox fans are projected to gain 22 pounds this baseball season. Fans reportedly eat an extra 753 calories on game days, with stadium attendees consuming the most.

Pete Crow-Armstrong will be the face of the Chicago Cubs for years to come.

According to ESPN, the Cubs and Crow-Armstrong are finalizing an agreement on a contract extension.

What we know:

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the extension first, and it comes after the Cubs have tried to lock Crow-Armstrong down before.

The Cubs reportedly came to Crow-Armstrong's camp and presented him with an extension offer worth $66 million last spring. MLB insider Jon Heyman reported the Cubs were willing to go higher to ink him to an extension. Crow-Armstrong was eligible for free agency in 2030, and it became imperative for the Cubs to lock down the centerpiece of the franchise.

Now, the two sides are reportedly on the brink of an extension.

The star center fielder bet on himself last year and cashed in after starting in the MLB All-Star game and being the first player in Cubs' history to record a 30-home run and 30-stolen base season to go along with a Gold Glove.

Crow-Armstrong didn't just break out as a 24-year-old center fielder. He embraced the city of Chicago.

Crow-Armstrong also saluted the center field Wrigley Field bleachers crowd numerous times.

He'll be patrolling that center field for the years to come.

Recently, Crow-Armstrong and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams attended Blackhawks and Bulls games together in support of the other professional teams in Chicago that were in-season.

"I think that we both plan on, and hope, that we will be in Chicago for a long time," Crow-Armstrong said in Arizona during Cubs' spring training.

Crow-Armstrong has held up his part of the deal.

What's next:

Crow-Armstrong will look to build off his breakout 2025 season with a 2026 campaign that builds him into a more consistent player.

While he had some struggles in the second half of the 2025 season, Crow-Armstrong fully acknowledges what he needs to improve at having playing time from 2024 and 2025 under his belt.

"It's really nice to approach this year and be like, ‘All right, dude. Well, you saw like both sides of it,’" Crow-Armstrong said in Arizona. "You know that you can probably hit 40 homers and steal 50 bags."

Crow-Armstrong has the strength to hit a high number of home runs and hit for power, but the key in 2026 is simple: Just get on base.

"That can't happen with me and my speed," Crow-Armstrong said. "That's just that's kind of unacceptable I feel like from my style of play."

It's easy to point to the struggles Crow-Armstrong had in the second half of the 2025 season. It's also easy to point to how Crow-Armstrong is just 24 entering his second full season as the starter for the Cubs.

The Cubs will invest in that young star.

"It's fun figuring out how I'm going to put together a more full body of work this year," Crow-Armstrong said.

This story will be updated.