Cubs next move after Pete Crow-Armstrong contract extension is painfully obvious

Many Chicago Cubs fans are still waking up to the news that Pete Crow-Armstrong is finalizing a long-term extension to remain in Chicago for the foreseeable future. Terms of Crow-Armstrong's new contract have yet to be revealed, but the expectation is that the total value is in the neighborhood of $120 million. It's also expected to be a contract that buys out the first year or two of Crow-Armstrong being eligible for free agency.

Similar to the Cubs not passing on Alex Bregman for a second consecutive offseason, extending Crow-Armstrong now is a move that had to get done. Already recognized as arguably the best defensive center fielder in all of baseball, Crow-Armstrong flashed signs of being a perennial MVP candidate with his production during the opening months of the 2025 season.

Locking Crow-Armstrong ahead of Opening Day was a victory for Jed Hoyer. There is still work to be done and Hoyer's next move should be to cement the contending core for the foreseeable future.

Nico Hoerner should be next in line following the Chicago Cubs' contract extension with Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Crow-Armstrong joins Bregman and Dansby Swanson as three members of the contending core under contract beyond the 2026 season. Michael Busch is also under team control through the 2029 season. The next act for Hoyer and Co. must be to sign second baseman Nico Hoerner to a contract extension.

Of all the impending free agents that the Cubs have, extending Hoerner is the obvious call. Hoerner is already viewed as an elite defender at second base (and shortstop), and if he reaches free agency, he likely will be one of the most coveted free agents on the market next winter.

Hoerner's value to the Cubs reached a new level in 2025. Beyond the sting of missing out on Bregman last March, when the Cubs traveled to Japan without the 28-year-old second baseman, it was clear that Hoerner's presence was missed. By the end of last year, it was even clearer that Hoerner emerged as the true leader in the clubhouse.

The Cubs don't make the deal with Bregman in the offseason or sign Crow-Armstrong if the focus of the front office wasn't on sustained success. Reaching the end of the season without a new deal for Hoerner doesn't align with the moves the Cubs have made since the end of the 2025 season. Crow-Armstrong got his deal, and now it's time to get Hoerner's next contract done.