Inside The Cubs

Is Chicago Cubs Outfielder Happ's Extension Projection a Fair Value?

The Chicago Cubs have an extension candidate in fan-favorite Ian Happ. There is a new projection for his extension value, but is it fair?
Kade Kistner|
Is Chicago Cubs Outfielder Happ's Extension Projection a Fair Value?
Is Chicago Cubs Outfielder Happ's Extension Projection a Fair Value?

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Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs love what outfielder Ian Happ can do for them. He plays left field competently, with 18 Defensive Runs Saved in six seasons. Happ has a good eye for the ball and above-average plate discipline as evidenced by his career .249/.339/.460 slashline with a 113 OPS+ (MLB avg. 100).

Couple all of that with his breakout 2022 MLB season in which he hit .271/.342/.440 and he is a prime candidate for an extension. 

Oh and he's only 28 years old. 

If you ask Happ, he wants to stay in Chicago, a place he has come to love and call home. 

“It would be weird to wear another jersey,” says Happ, whom the Cubs selected with the ninth overall draft pick back in 2015. “I would love to stay here and I would love to be a part of the next great Cubs team, but we’ll see.”

The Athletic earlier on Tuesday ran a story looking at extension candidates and potential values for each player on that list. Happ was one of them.

Tim Britton used Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos as a comparable player in terms of performance. The comparison is still a little questionable, but it's passable. Britton takes a look at Castellanos's breakout season and Happ's to come up with his fair value of Happ's extension. 

The final number?

Six years and $100 million.

It's fair and in all honesty it probably favors the Cubs by a few million dollars. If Happ truly wants to stay in Chicago that deal probably gets it done. If he has any thoughts about testing free agency, it may take six years and $115 million. 

It's really not that far off. The Cubs should be on the phone tomorrow. 

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Cubs. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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