Happ on clock for extension after ‘remarkable step forward'

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As the 2022 season winded down, manager David Ross had a message for some of the Cubs outfielders heading into the offseason.

"Talking to a lot of these outfielders, left and right are taken," Ross said during the final series in Cincinnati. "Pretty simple. There’s an open spot, and it’s in center field.

"That’s where I would put in my work, that’s where I would try to get better."

Seiya Suzuki makes up half that equation after the Cubs signed him to a five-year deal last winter, envisioning him in right field on “the next great Cubs team.” 

Ian Happ is in left, and while he's only under club control through 2023, a longer-term partnership could be in the cards. Happ is an extension candidate this winter.

“I’d say that we’ve taken the first steps,” Cubs president Jed Hoyer said when specifically asked about potential extension talks this winter with Happ and Nico Hoerner. 

“As you guys know, we're not going to talk about it once we do,” Hoyer added. “But certainly, there are players that we'd love to keep in a Cubs uniform for a long time. And hopefully we can work hard on those and get some across the finish line.”

Happ’s career before 2022 was defined by extreme peaks and valleys offensively, and he was considered a potential non-tender candidate a little more than a year ago.

But a strong finish to 2021 carried into 2022, highlighted by his first career All-Star nod.

“He took a really remarkable step forward in terms of his consistency on the field,” Hoyer said. “I think his career had been marked prior to this year by really high highs and really low lows.

“He made a very concerted effort with his swing and his mentality to even that out, and I think he did a fantastic job. And I think that there's no reason that he can't continue to do that.”

Happ was hitting .182/.296/.332 in 91 games through July 29 in the 2021 season — the Cubs’ last game before a trade deadline selloff that opened everyday playing time for him.

In 215 games since then, he’s hit .273/.346/.472 with 32 home runs and 112 RBIs, sporting solid 9.3 and 25 percent walk and strikeout rates.

He led the Cubs with 158 games played in 2022, hitting .271/.342/.440 with 17 homers and 72 RBIs (also first on the team) while having a Gold Glove caliber season in left field.

While his slugging was down, it came with a career-best strikeout rate, which speaks to that mentality adjustment Hoyer noted.

It’s not just that Happ produced on the field. He took on a leadership role in the clubhouse, which has seen an exodus of players from the last contention window over the past two calendar years.

That includes a mentorship of Suzuki in his first MLB season.

“He stepped into that void, and his voice was fantastic,” Hoyer said of Happ. “It was all about winning. It was all about developing guys. He and Nico have a really great relationship that way.

“Immediately, he took Seiya sort of under his wing and tried to mentor him in the way baseball is played and the way things are done over here. I thought he really found his voice from a leadership standpoint, and it was really, really gratifying to see that.”

Happ has expressed over and over he wants to stay and has said he hopes the team keeping him at the deadline means there will be substantive extension talks.

If the Cubs want to start locking in their next core, this could be a step in that direction.

“I'm excited he's a Cub. [He had a] really, really good year,” Hoyer said.

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