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
Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) celebrates the Cubs win against the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
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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