Ian Happ extension? Update: 3 years, $61M

[Rex Buckingham]

 

Cerami doesn't do the "source" stuff much, so this seems promising.  He was on the Hoerner news early.  Could be interesting to see what a Happ extension looks like

Edited April 12, 2023 by Rex Buckingham

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I didn't hear it myself, but I did see someone on Twitter catch Jed make a mention of 'positive conversations' with Happ on the broadcast last night. 

[UMFan83]

Dammit I was really hoping I got to this first becuase I really wanted to bump the "It's HAPPening" thread, but I guess we're not doing mega threads as much well so this is relevant for its own thread.

I'm ok with this...not the worst thing in the world to lock up homegrown talent for a second contract as long as the dollar amount is not ridiculous.  Would be interested to see the years though...presumably Jed doesn't want to lock anyone up for more than 5 years and Happ probably doesn't want to put himself in a position to be seeking one last contract at a declining age. 

[David]

16 minutes ago, Rex Buckingham said:

 

Cerami doesn't do the "source" stuff much, so this seems promising.  He was on the Hoerner news early.  Could be interesting to see what a Happ extension looks like

I think he was also first on the Kimbrel trade IIRC

[David]

I am pleased at this development.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I like Ian Happ, and I can’t wait for him to continue to kill it in a Cubs uniform. 

[Rex Buckingham]

 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Another deal that will expire after 2026, which someone on Twitter pointed out is also when the current CBA expires.  

[Bertz]

I've generally been a critic of the idea of extending Happ, but that is not a lot of money or years so this works for me

[UMFan83]

27 minutes ago, Rex Buckingham said:

 

Very nice to see!  Not too long of a commit for him to not have another potential payday at age 32 but long enough for him to be tied to the next competitive window (hopefully).  I like.

Edited April 12, 2023 by UMFan83

[mul21]

This seems like a win/win.  I'm a fan.  

[Andy]

I'm a little surprised Happ took this over trying for a mini-megadeal in FA (and a lot surprised it was done in-season). Really nice move.

[UMFan83]

Really cool seeing them put it up on the video board as Happ was jogging to LF

[Post Count Padder]

Oh man I'm ecstatic. I love Happ and was starting to assume this wouldn't happen. Not only is he staying put but its a very reasonable contract. He clearly wants to he here. 

[UMFan83]

5 minutes ago, Andy said:

I'm a little surprised Happ took this over trying for a mini-megadeal in FA (and a lot surprised it was done in-season). Really nice move.

What would his contract have looked like on the open market?  It seems like he's happy here and wanted to stay.  Going into the FA market at 32 is not awful if he can keep playing like he has in recent years.

Edit: Quick google search saw some speculation that a Happ contract would probably be somewhere between Andrew Bennitendi's 5/$75m deal ($15m AAV) and Castellanos' 5/$100m ($20m AAV).  Seems like the Cubs probably wanted less years and were willing to go to just over $20m AAV to get the deal done.

Edited April 12, 2023 by UMFan83

[Transmogrified Tiger]

4 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

What would his contract have looked like on the open market?  It seems like he's happy here and wanted to stay.  Going into the FA market at 32 is not awful if he can keep playing like he has in recent years.

Benintendi was tossed out as an imperfect but probably not too far off comp.  Happ has been more consistent and is a better defender but overall production wise isn't too different and Benintendi reached FA a year younger.  Benintendi got 5/75 this offseason.

[Irrelevant Dude]

I have always been one who thought locking Happ up to a long term deal wasn't the best idea, but I think they found a great middle ground here.  The money isn't crazy and I love only having to commit to 3 years.  I may have felt differently if there was a LF option knocking on the door in Iowa, but Davis is the only one close and he is a big question mark right now.

[17 Seconds]

3 hours ago, David said:

I think he was also first on the Kimbrel trade IIRC

he also kind of broke swanson, plus another that i can't remember

[David]

Given where he likely would've ranked among position players on the upcoming FA market (quite highly), I think he took quite a discount here.  Especially surprised given the fact that he's the player rep.  Figured he might have had his mind more in the direction of maximizing his value while he can.

[Bertz]

So thinking about what this does for the upcoming offseason.  The Cubs have the following on the books:

$91M in fully guaranteed contracts to Swanson, Taillon, Happ, Seiya, and Hoerner

$40M in contracts where the player has an opt out with Stroman, Mancini, and Smyly

$22M in Club Options for Hendricks and Gomes

$3.25M Player Option for Barnhart

$25M in random costs like player benefits, Bote's AAV, etc.

8 arb eligible guys, but none should make significant money.  Mayyybe Wisdom cracks $5 because of the dongs or one of Adbert/Heuer rack up a bunch of saves?

It's impossible to say which options/opt outs will get exercised at this point, but the over under on payroll heading into the offseason is probably about $150M?

[Tim]

I'm not thrilled that we allocated funds this way. But it's nice that we have some certainty heading into next year. 

The contract itself seems great.

[CubinNY]

How often do guys get signed to extensions, then traded? Serious question.

[Bertz]

7 minutes ago, CubinNY said:

How often do guys get signed to extensions, then traded? Serious question.

I can't think of any examples of it happening within like a year.  It occasionally happens a little further out, Nolan Arenado was a notable example when he got traded right around two years after signing his deal.  There's definitely a honeymoon period of a few years before it starts shifting back to "what makes the most business sense"

[fromthestretch]

7 minutes ago, Bertz said:

I can't think of any examples of it happening within like a year.  It occasionally happens a little further out, Nolan Arenado was a notable example when he got traded right around two years after signing his deal.  There's definitely a honeymoon period of a few years before it starts shifting back to "what makes the most business sense"

Didn't the Red Sox do that with Bronson Arroyo? Maybe I'm misremembering, but I believe they signed him to a three-year extension and then dealt him to the Reds.

[Bertz]

16 minutes ago, grassbass said:

Didn't the Red Sox do that with Bronson Arroyo? Maybe I'm misremembering, but I believe they signed him to a three-year extension and then dealt him to the Reds.

Wow, I didn't remember that being so brutal but you're totally right.  He signed his extension in the offseason and then in that very same spring training got dealt.  I remember people being mad about that one but thought there was at least a year in there between.