Struggling Chicago Cubs Veteran Making Outfield Situation Murky

Things have not gone as planned for one of the Chicago Cubs' veteran outfielders and that could give the front office some difficult decisions to make.

May 3, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ (8) / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs dropped the final game of their homestand against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday that now has them tied at the top of the NL Central division.

It was a lackluster six games for the Cubs at Wrigley Field, a place where they have been offensively dominant through the early portion of the season. But after winning their series against the Milwaukee Brewers, they lost two out of three against the Padres as their offense struggled during this stretch.

They scored three runs per game, a far cry from their 5.85 figure they put up prior to this slate.

Once Chicago gets their injured slugger Seiya Suzuki back from the injured list, that should boost their overall numbers, but there continues to be a concerning issue in left field.

Ian Happ is struggling at the plate to start the year again.

That was also the case in 2023, but he was able to turn things around and finish with numbers that could be considered the best of his career since becoming a full-time player. He slashed .248/.360/.431 with 21 homers and a career-high 84 RBI.

Hopefully he can do something similar this season, because right now, he isn't living up to the three-year, $61 million extension he signed last April.

Happ is slashing .225/.346/.302 with just one home run, seven extra-base hits, and 12 RBI through 35 games played.

Those would easily be some of the worst numbers he's ever produced.

The issue here is the Cubs have tons of talented outfield prospects who have been promoted, like Pete Crow-Armstrong, are fringe guys like Alexander Canario, or who are close to getting called up like Owen Caissie.

When Suzuki eventually comes off the injured list, Chicago would be carrying five outfielders in Happ, Crow-Armstrong, Suzukie, Cody Bellinger, and Mike Tauchman.

The likely scenario is that they send their top prospect back to Triple-A, but this complicates things moving forward as there are good offensive and defensive players ready for their moment.

Happ will be paid roughly $20 million per year until 2027.

They need him to start performing like someone who is getting that type of contract.