Pete Crow-Armstrong's Hank Aaron Award nod comes with a warning Cubs can't ignore in 2027

For the sour taste that was Pete Crow-Armstrong going hitless in the Chicago Cubs' two playoff games against the San Diego Padres this year, it's about to be erased during the weeks ahead. Sure, Crow-Armstrong would much rather be playing, but award season is on the precipice of starting for the 24-year-old center fielder.

Crow-Armstrong appears to be headed toward being named the National League MVP, and almost certainly will be taking home Gold Glove and Louisville Silver Slugger honors among NL outfielders. Beyond that, Crow-Armstrong was also named a finalist for the Hank Aaron award.

To go over the numbers one final time, Crow-Armstrong tied Kyle Schwarber for the most home runs in baseball this season with 45, scored the most runs in baseball, and only Yordan Alvarez had a high wRC+ than him. Adding that Crow-Armstrong also had 41 steals on the season, to us, it feels like a no-brainer that he should take home the award.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is a Hank Aaron Award finalist but Cubs have 2027 warning hiding in plain sight

Crow-Armstrong's season is arguably the best individual performance that Cubs fans have seen in their lifetime, and it's about to be flooded with awards in the weeks ahead. That said, there's also a warning hiding in plain sight.

Pitching is going to be the focus for the Cubs this offseason. It makes sense. Pitching was ultimately the reason why the Cubs finished the season 14 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, and while they only scored one run in the playoffs, their lack of quality pitching had the Cubs entering the playoffs behind the eight ball.

That said, the warning for the Cubs this offseason is to not ignore the offense. Carson Kelly, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Michael Conforto, and Tyrone Taylor are all free agents this winter. That's a lot of the Cubs' 2026 offensive production walking out the door. What' even scarier is that for as great as it was, Crow-Armstrong's 2026 season was the outlier. That doesn't mean he won't be great in 2027, he could be, but the unlikeliest outcome is that he repeats the production he had this season.

Combine that with the free agency departures, and it's clear, the Cubs, in some form, should make an external addition to their starting lineup this season. In perfect world, it would be re-signing Seiya Suzuki, but that might be off the table.

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