Why are Chicago Cubs extension bros—PCA and Nico—going in alarmingly different directions?

The Chicago Cubs spent some serious money this offseason to not only stock this 2026 crew, but to also secure a core nucleus to a team possibly set to lose many of its veteran assets to free agency.

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The biggest offseason money move involved the 5-year, $175 million signing of three-time All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman. The team also signed four veteran free agent relievers to help restock a depleted bullpen.

Then, just as the season began, two more major expenditures were announced—the contract extensions of center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and second baseman Nico Hoerner.

The 24-year-old Crow-Armstrong was signed to a 6-year, $115 million deal, which will keep him a Cub through the 2032 season. The 28-year-old Hoerner, meanwhile, also agreed to a 6-year extension. His deal is worth $141 million.

The extensions were met with enthusiasm from fans and there really hasn’t been too much second guessing when it comes to the Cubs’ investment in their future. Both are regarded as key components of the team and essential pieces to establishing a championship presence.

So far this year, though, the two recently-extended North Siders have gone in wildly different directions after their windfalls.

PCA is struggling

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Crow-Armstrong has struggled this year, extending the struggles he suffered through in the second half of last season. The young talent is currently hitting a weak .203 with an alarming .239 OBP. Most troubling, though, is that he has just two extra base hits all season—a home run and a double. As of Tuesday, he’s on a 2-for-21 run at the plate.

Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation recently crunched the numbers and came to the conclusion that the free-swinging PCA is way beyond free-swinging right now.

Per Cerami:

“Pete Crow-Armstrong has a few stray positive stats, but mostly I’m just concerned about the 48.3% out-of-zone swing rate. We all know he’s a free swinger, but 48.3% is high even for him. In fact, it’s the 2nd highest in baseball among qualified players. He does have a solid enough zone contact rate, though. So that’s good. But he’ll have to make some better swing decisions if he wants to raise the quality of his contact and start producing at even league-average levels, let alone the star levels we’ve seen from him in the past.”

Hoerner is a “stud”

Nico Hoerner, on the other hand, has been an even better version of his best self after securing his Cubs future.

Also, per Cerami:

“Nico Hoerner is a freakin’ stud. His 98.5% zone-contact rate is the top mark in MLB, and his swinging strike rate is one of the lowest in the game. But with slightly fewer swings on balls out of the zone and a little more passivity overall, he’s been able to take more walks than usual. Throw in a 30.8% line drive rate and a 38.5% flyball rate (both career bests by a lot), and it’s not difficult to see where he’s getting the additional pop, too.”

It’s obviously still very early in the season to make any real assessments regarding PCA and Hoerner. But it’s totally possible that the early performance of these recently extended Cubs has a lot to do with their respective personalities.

The consistent, always cool Hoerner is bolstered and emboldened by the end of contract concerns and is going about his business accordingly.

On the other hand, the more emotional and adrenaline-driven Crow-Armstrong could be pressing too hard, swinging too freely to make something happen and justify his extension.

This is all just conjecture, of course, but it’s something to watch as the season advances.

The post Why are Chicago Cubs extension bros—PCA and Nico—going in alarmingly different directions? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-extension-pete-crow-armstrong-nico-hoerner-2026-stats-troubles/