Cubs Ink Ian Happ to Three-Year, $61-Million Contract Extension
As it turns out, the 2023 season won’t end up being outfield Ian Happ’s walk year after all.
Happ, previously a free agent after this season, has agreed to a three-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, the team announced on Wednesday. His new contract will begin next season and run through 2026, extending him across his age-31 campaign.
The Cubs broke the news to their fans prior to Wednesday’s contest versus the Seattle Mariners, posting the headline on the video board at Wrigley Field.
And as you probably already guessed, Chicago’s fan base showered Happ with plenty of cheers as he took the field before first pitch.
The details of Happ’s contract weren’t released by the Cubs, but ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the deal is worth $61 million. His contract will also reportedly include a full no-trade clause.
Chicago avoided arbitration with Happ last January, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $10.85 million, buying out his final year of arbitration eligibility. He will earn a $20.3 million average annual value when his new contract kicks in.
The Cubs received trade offers regarding Happ leading up to last season’s trade deadline, though the front office opted to keep him, believing the 28-year-old was a key member of their core moving forward. And management reinforced that notion by extending him on Wednesday.
Happ was selected ninth overall by the Cubs in 2015, becoming their latest homegrown prospect to arrive at The Show after making his MLB debut during the 2017 season. He hit .253/.328/.514 with 24 home runs and 68 RBIs as a rookie, finishing eighth in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Since then, the talented switch-hitter has compiled six seasons with Chicago, including this current one, posting a .250/.343/.450 career slash line worth 9.5 fWAR. The veteran outfielder enjoyed one of the top statistical performances of his career last season, though.
Despite being part of a rebuild, Happ slashed .271/.342/.440 with 17 home runs, 72 RBIs and a 120 wRC+ over 158 games. He was also worth a career-best 3.6 fWAR, second highest on the team among position players behind Nico Hoerner (4.0).
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native was named to his first career All-Star Game and earned his first Gold Glove Award after producing +13 Defensive Runs Saved and +2 Outs Above Average across 1,233.1 innings in left field.
Things have started fairly well for Happ this season, as he’s hitting .314/.467/.514 with five extra-base hits (four doubles, one home run), six RBIs and a 165 wRC+ through 10 games. He has been fairly lucky however, as evidenced by his xAVG (.233), xSLG (.359) and hard-hit rate (29.2 percent).
Defensively, he’s logged 90.0 innings in left field, generating -1 DRS and -2 OAA. But there is still an entire summer to turn these poor results around.
The Cubs, as a whole, have enjoyed a positive start to 2023, carrying a 6-4 record into Wednesday’s series finale against the Mariners, good for second place in the NL Central Division.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Ian D’Andrea. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.