Undervalued Cubs phenom's contract value exploding, per MLB insider

Had the New York Mets known that their former prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong would evolve into an MVP version, they might not have traded him to the Chicago Cubs in July 2021 for Javier Báez and Trevor Williams. However, it's way past their control, and the onus is now on his new team to make him feel fulfilled.

PCA, who is turning heads with a blistering start which sees him hitting .279 and 12 home runs, settled for a salary of a mere $771,000, which is like pennies on the dollar given his production.

According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Cubs wanted to get a long-term deal done during spring training, offering the outfielder between $60 million and $70 million. That number is bound to get inflated given the way PCA is hitting this season.

"They’re obviously willing to raise their bid, however, the ask is rising exponentially with PCA exploding," Heyman wrote on The Post. "The Cubs were likely using Lawrence Butler ($65.5M) and Ezequiel Tovar ($63.5M) as comps in spring. They know they need new comps now. Folks have been undervaluing PCA — NL WAR leader at 2.9, tied with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jesús Luzardo — for years."

PCA will be under team control through the 2027 season. He is just 23 now and carries a good upside for the near future.

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Cubs already talking extension with Pete Crow-Armstrong, prez makes feelings known

Two weeks from MLB Opening Day, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported on a $75 million extension from the Cubs for Pete Crow-Armstrong. It's clear that Chicago knows they have a gem in hand, and extending him long term should be a no-brainer.

President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer knows so.

“We think the world of him,” Hoyer told 670 The Score’s “Mully & Haugh Show” on Tuesday morning. “We’d love to sign him long term. Obviously, those conversations in-season are delicate.”

However, Hoyer wasn't happy with the extension talks getting attention.

“Frankly, having that get out when it did, it wasn’t ideal,” Hoyer said of the news leaking online. “We got through it, but we like to keep those things in-house.”

A full season projection for PCA looks like: 41 HR, 48 SB, 131 RBIs, and 124 runs. This is elite production for someone being paid less than $1 million.

“He’s been remarkable,” Hoyer said. “Right now, he’s beating (opponents) in so many different ways.”

Hoyer confirmed that for now they have taken a back seat in the contract negotiation and rather want PCA to focus on the season at hand.

“It’s something that I’m sure at some point, we will revisit,” Hoyer said. “But right now, we’re letting him focus on the season.”

The Cubs can take things slowly with PCA, though. He's not arbitration-eligible until 2027 and not a free agent until 2031.