Happ and Hoyer Both Looking For a Long-Term Solution for the Cubs Gold Glove Outfielder
Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Kyle Schwarber, Jake Arrieta and now Willson Contreras. The Chicago Cubs have let their core slip away.
One by one, they've lost nearly every remaining link to their 2016 World Series-winning team, all but an aged, injured Kyle Hendricks has departed.
The Cubs must now focus on a new core, one formed by the waves of prospects coming up through a lush minor league system. However, if there is no homegrown talent to meet them at the Major League level, those youths may suffer the same fate as their predecessors currently on the roster.
Enter Ian Happ, who caught the tail-end of the Cubs' dynastic run from 2015-2018. He endured copious rumors at 2022's trade deadline about his future and where he would finish the season.
In the end, Happ stayed in Chicago. Thus the Cubs lost much of the potential value they could have reclaimed through trade.
But now, they're in a bind. Should they let Happ walk into free agency after 2023 they will have missed out on much of his once towering trade value, while moving him now would be foolish after holding onto him at the deadline and waiting for his stock to dwindle.
The obvious route, is a long-term extension. Happ plays Gold Glove-defense, meaning his floor is going to remain high as he ages. His positional versatility and high walk-rate will also aid a graceful decline as opposed to a fortuitous drop-off.
Most importantly, how does Happ feel about the prospect of an extension with the Cubs?
"I hope so, I hope so," Happ said in an NBCSports Chicago article by Gordon Wittenmyer.
It's imperative the Cubs extend him an offer sooner, rather than later. His asking price will only steepen as he approaches free agency.
"We’ve taken the first steps," general manager Jed Hoyer said about extension talks in early October. "Certainly, there are players that we'd love to keep in a Cubs uniform for a long time."
The Cubs need to build this core from the inside out. It's what worked in 2016 and for just about every other championship team ever. The best teams can't succeed on free agent signings alone, though Hoyer and owner Tom Ricketts are intrigued by that narrative.
A top-of-the-lineup bat, and defensive stalwart, Happ is the ideal cornerstone for the future of the Cubs.
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