Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong Shares Surprising Details About 2021 Trade: ‘Very Odd’

Baseball is a business. Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong learned that lesson in 2021 when the New York Mets traded him to the Windy City in exchange for infielder Javier Baez.

Crow-Armstrong joined Chris Rose on Jomboy Media’s “Chris Rose Rotation” on September 16. When they began talking about the 2021 trade deadline, Rose asked if he initially thought getting dealt was a joke. The outfielder agreed, mostly because he hadn’t heard his name pop up in any rumors and he was hurt at the time.

“Mark [Vientos] and I left the conversation at, call me if anything happens to you. So, he FaceTimes me. Mark’s out of here, this is wild, yada yada. And he answers the, er, I answer the phone and he’s just…blank stare,” Crow-Amstrong said. “Didn’t say a word, so I kind of reciprocate that, and I don’t say anything back, and I’m like, what happened?

“And in the background, he’s in the clubhouse, I hear somebody go, Pete Crow just got traded? And I’m like, oh, so this was about me? And then all of a sudden, like, my phone kind of starts buzzing, and, um, I didn’t, I thought it was a joke,” he continued. “Especially when whoever said that. It was just a very odd string of circumstances.”

His full answer can be seen below:

Pete Crow-Armstrong Barely Played at All for the Mets

The Mets selected Crow-Armstrong with the 19th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. Since that was the pandemic-shortened 60-game season, there wasn’t an opportunity for him to officially begin his pro career on the field in the minors.

That chance came in 2021 as a 19-year-old. He suited up for the St. Lucie Mets in Single-A for just six games before hitting the injured list. The outfielder eventually had season-ending shoulder surgery.

Upon getting healthy in 2022, Crow-Armstrong worked his way through the Cubs’ system until making his big-league debut in 2023. He spent another 26 games in Triple-A this season but has appeared in 111 MLB games for Chicago.

Baez played out the 2021 season with the Mets before signing a six-year, $140 million with the Detroit Tigers. He’s struggled to a .610 OPS in his first 360 games played for the organization.

Crow-Armstrong Could Now Be a Big Part of the Cubs’ Future

While this trade happened more than three years ago, it finally appears to be Crow-Armstrong’s time to make an impact at the big-league level.

He struggled to a .177 OPS in his first 19 plate appearances with the Cubs in 2023 but has made significant strides in 2024. Across 365 plate appearances, the outfielder is hitting .242/.293/.408 with 10 home runs, 46 RBI, 27 steals and 42 runs scored. Crow-Armstrong has been exclusively playing center field when he’s on the diamond.

Cody Bellinger initially took up the playing time in center when the 2024 season started. But he’s since bounced around, mostly logging time at designated hitter, first base and right field. If he decides to opt out of his three-year, $80 million deal this winter, the everyday center field job will be Crow-Armstrong’s to keep.

That wouldn’t be a huge change for the 22-year-old, though. He’s been more or less playing center field every day since getting recalled to the big leagues in late April.