CHICAGO — Wrigley Field transformed into a sea of electric blue under the October twilight, the ivy-clad walls pulsing with the heartbeat of a city starved for commitment. Thousands packed the stands, their chants cascading like a North Side symphony: “Steele! Steele!” As the scoreboard flashed the news, confirmed moments earlier by the Chicago Cubs front office, the air crackled with unbridled joy. Justin Steele, the homegrown lefty who clawed his way from Tommy John obscurity to ace status, had inked a seven-year, $105 million extension—securing his place in Cubs lore through 2032. It’s more than a contract; it’s a vow of loyalty in an MLB landscape littered with mercenary moves and billion-dollar betrayals.
“I didn’t sign for the money… I signed because this is home,” Steele said post-announcement, his voice gravelly from the roar of the crowd, eyes glistening under the stadium lights. Drafted in the fifth round out of George County High School in 2014, Steele’s journey has been pure Cubs: resilient, understated, unbreakable. At 29, he’s already logged a 3.24 career ERA over 484 innings, with a breakout 2023 that earned All-Star nods, Cy Young votes, and a league-leading 0.7 HR/9. But 2025? That was his coronation—16 wins, a sub-3.00 ERA, and a rotation anchor that propelled Chicago to a 92-win NL Central crown and their first postseason berth since 2017.
The deal, averaging $15 million annually with escalators pushing it past $105M in incentives, buys out Steele’s final three arbitration years and four free-agent seasons. It eclipses projections from offseason whispers—a modest five-year, $74M pact floated by analysts in December 2024—but reflects Steele’s irreplaceable value amid a pitching market inflated by arms like Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s $325M megadeal. “He’s not just an ace; he’s the heartbeat of this staff,” Cubs GM Jed Hoyer beamed, flanked by owner Tom Ricketts. “In an era where loyalty feels like a relic, Justin chose us. Now we choose him—for life.”
Fans erupted as highlights replayed on the Jumbotron: Steele’s filthy curveball freezing Brewers sluggers in the NLDS clincher, his no-hit bid into the seventh against the Dodgers in August. But it’s the intangibles that make him “irreplaceable”—the kid from Lucedale, Mississippi, who rehabbed through three elbow surgeries, debuted in relief during the pandemic-shortened 2020, and evolved into Chicago’s iron man. “Wrigley’s my church,” Steele added, tipping his cap to the bleacher bums. “These fans? They’re family. I pitch for them.”
This extension isn’t isolated; it’s the cornerstone of Chicago’s post-2021 resurgence. With Pete Crow-Armstrong slashing toward a 40-40 season and Kyle Tucker bolstering the outfield after his winter trade, the Cubs are stacking commitments. Steele joins Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki in long-term pacts, signaling a shift from the Kris Bryant-era fire sales. As Commissioner Rob Manfred noted at the signing presser, “Steele’s story is MLB’s story: grit over glamour.” Projections now peg the Cubs as 2026 World Series favorites (+500 odds), with Steele tabbed for the Tokyo Series opener.
Yet, for Steele, the math fades behind the mission. “We’ve waited too long,” he said, glancing at the 2016 banner fluttering above. “This group’s special. Time to bring it home.” As fireworks lit the skyline and “Sweet Home Chicago” blared, one truth rang clear: In a sport of transients, Justin Steele is forever Cubs.
