When Caleb Williams talks, Chicago listens.
And now that the Chicago Bears quarterback finally explained why he had some initial reservations about playing for an organization that hasn’t learned how to develop QBs, we can give our undivided attention to things that matter, like the futures of Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jed Hoyer, Luis Robert Jr. and Josh Giddey.
The future is not promised to anyone, but it’s always fun to speculate about it, so let’s dive in.
Hoyer is looking for a contract extension from Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts while hoping to get Crow-Armstrong to sign one.
If the team president somehow can get Crow-Armstrong signed to a long-term deal, he probably deserves an extension himself.
It doesn’t take an agent to tell you Crow-Armstrong’s value has soared over the last six weeks, perhaps tripling whatever amount the Cubs had in mind when they began talks in spring training that eventually led to nowhere.
Hoyer confirmed the talks that were revealed in an MLB.com report around the start of the season. The report on X, formerly Twitter, said Crow-Armstrong’s deal could’ve maxed out at $75 million with options, which Hoyer dismissed while adding that he’s open to more discussions during the season.
“We hadn’t talked in a couple weeks when it leaked out when we were in L.A.,” Hoyer told reporters Tuesday at Wrigley Field. “In general, it’s easier to negotiate if it’s not out in the media. People aren’t speculating on numbers and things like that.
“Even the number that came out about that wasn’t right. So that’s kind of how we view it. The more we can keep things under wraps, the better when it comes to that. The not-talking-during-the-season (issue), to me, that’s a player-focus thing. I’m not playing. I’ve got time to negotiate if they want.”
Crow-Armstrong would be crazy to sign a team-friendly deal now since he won’t become a free agent until after the 2030 season. Who knows what salaries will be like by then, even if there is a lockout after 2026?
If he continues to perform at his current pace, Crow-Armstrong will wind up as one of the highest-paid free agents. There’s a risk of being injured, of course, but Crow-Armstrong doesn’t seem like he would worry about that.
Hoyer’s priority for now should be re-signing Kyle Tucker, whose value also is climbing.
The way the Cubs have played through the first third of the season, the likelihood of Hoyer getting an extension also is increasing. The bullpen issues have dissipated, Matt Shaw has been filling the third-base hole since his return and Matt Boyd and Colin Rea have stabilized the rotation since the injuries to Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga.
The Cubs could have five All-Stars in Crow-Armstrong, Tucker, Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner and Carson Kelly. All but Hoerner were Hoyer’s trades or signings.
In fact, Ricketts might want to get something done during the season, with Hoyer likely to command more money elsewhere if the Cubs make the playoffs.
It’s a complete turnaround from spring training, when Ricketts was thought to have the upper hand because Hoyer hadn’t built a playoff team in his four years, while his mentor, Theo Epstein, got the Cubs into the postseason in his fourth year as president. Hoyer wants to stay, so it shouldn’t be hard to get a deal done if Ricketts really wants him back.
Like Hoyer, Ricketts is also not playing, so he has plenty of time to negotiate.
White Sox manager Will Venable kept playing Andrew Vaughn through his slump until finally deciding to give him a day off before the finale of the Cubs series on May 18. I asked Venable before the game if he ever would consider a mental break for guys such as Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr.
“Definitely, if guys are showing frustration, or you think that they need that blow, you give them that,” Venable replied. “In the case of those two guys, they’re coming to the field every day, the response after their at-bats is the same as when they get hits. They’re very much in a good spot mentally it appears.”
A mental break typically consists of a couple of days on the bench to get a player’s mind off his struggles. Cubs manager Craig Counsell gave one last May to Ian Happ, sitting the slumping veteran for two games. Happ homered in his first at-bat after the two-game break and wound up having a fine season.
Vaughn wound up pinch hitting that day against the Cubs and went 0-for-2, so it wasn’t even a real day off. Four days later he was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, where he was 3-for-14 with one home run in three games through Wednesday.
Robert obviously won’t be sent down to Charlotte like Vaughn, but maybe a mental break would help him emerge from his two-month slump. If the Sox hope to get something for him before the trade deadline, Venable might want to try it.
Watching Alex Caruso excel in the playoffs might be the only reason for Chicago Bulls fans to watch the NBA Finals.
It seems like a lifetime ago that the Bulls sent Caruso to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey last summer, sacrificing defense and grit for offense and youth. After some early problems getting acclimated, Giddey had a strong end to the season and will be a coveted restricted free agent this summer, likely forcing the Bulls to match whatever offer he gets.
It figures to be in the $30 million per-year range or higher, and the Bulls don’t want to lose him, no matter the cost. They declined to extend Giddey at the deadline in October, opting for a wait-and-see approach in his first year in Chicago. Now it’s time to pay up.
Caruso, meanwhile, signed a four-year, $81 million extension with the Thunder, which might seem excessive for someone averaging 7.1 points and only 19 minutes per game — until you factor in his defensive abilities and leadership skills with a young team that appreciates what he brings to the table.
The Thunder entered the season as the youngest team in the NBA with an average age of 24.18 years and had the fewest average number of seasons with NBA experience (2.56 years). Now they are in the NBA Finals with an average age of 25.33 years, the fourth-youngest team to reach the Finals after the 1976-77 Philadelphia 76ers (25.12), the 1950-51 New York Knicks (25.13) and the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers (25.31), who beat the aforementioned 76ers in the 1977 Finals.
With its core intact, OKC could become the next NBA dynasty, while the Bulls continue spinning their wheels.
Either way, it should be an interesting NBA Finals, with Caruso getting the national attention he richly deserves.
