Cubs news: Why trade to Chicago was a ‘blessing’ for Pete Crow-Armstrong

As the 2026 MLB trade deadline rapidly approaches, with the biggest fish in the proverbial pond, Tarik Skubal, having already been shipped from the Detroit Tigers to the Los Angeles Dodgers, one player who won’t be looking for a new team is Chicago Cubs All-Star Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Initially selected in the first round of the 2020 MLB Amateur Draft by the New York Mets, PCA was famously traded to the Cubs in 2021 for Javier Baez, Trevor Williams, and cash, setting up an incredible come-up for the Cubs with each passing season.

Discussing what that trade means to him now, a half-decade later, with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Crow-Armstrong couldn’t be happier with how things shook out, as his family has found a home in Chicago.

“I mean, it really changed the whole trajectory of it. Changed my life, my family’s life in so many ways,” Crow-Armstrong explained. “So I look at that as such a blessing that I, I didn’t know how it was gonna turn out, but I’m here. I get to play at Wrigley every day. I get to play for the best fans in the world. And I’m a part of a really good squad all the while. So it changed my life.”

No offense to any of the players also included in the trade, but it’s hard to say the Cubs hit anything but a home run in their move to acquire PCA, as he’s already amassed two All-Star appearances and a Gold Glove before he turned 25. If the Sherman Oaks native continues to thrive, fans in the greater Chicagoland area will certainly keep making Crow-Armstrong feel at home in Illinois.

“I look at that as such a blessing. I didn’t know how it was going to turn out, but I’m here, I get to play at Wrigley every day. I get to play in front of the best fans in the world.”

PCA spoke with @Ken_Rosenthal after the Cubs 5-2 win over the Yankees pic.twitter.com/hQP3wxTMJe

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 2, 2026