Okay, so most of you didn’t like my series on proposed extensions for young Cubs players. Yes, I probably went overboard on some of them. Mainly, I just wanted to open up the topics for discussion.
Now,
let me turn my attention for the rest of this week to three Cubs players who all have contracts expiring at the end of 2026. This, quite probably, was by design, as MLB very likely enters a lockout when the CBA expires on Dec. 1, 2026. Note that I have not said here, and will not say, anything about the 2027 season. Only that a lockout seems likely, and that could very well be the reason these three players have deals all expiring at the same time. Other than team-controlled players, the Cubs have only one player under contract past 2026: Dansby Swanson. (Shōta Imanaga could be added to that list if the Cubs pick up his complicated option deals.)
Let’s begin with the longest-tenured Cub, Ian Happ. 2026 will be his 10th season as a Cub; not very many players in recent times have spent that many seasons as a Chicago Cub. Let’s count them, shall we? Since the famed 1967-73 core all left the team by various reasons — trades, retirements — here’s the complete list of all players who have spent at least 10 seasons in a Cubs uniform (so, since 1974):
Ryne Sandberg (15)
Sammy Sosa (13)
Mark Grace (13)
Kerry Wood (12)
Shawon Dunston (12)
Kyle Hendricks (11)
Carlos Zambrano (11)
Anthony Rizzo (10)
Greg Maddux (10)
That’s two Hall of Famers and some of the most popular and productive players as Cubs over the last 50 years. Let’s toss Rick Reuschel — 12 years as a Cub — in there as well, even though two of those years were before 1974, so 10 of those years were in the time frame noted.
Notice anything else about that list?
Happ’s the only one who has played his entire career with the Cubs. In fact, of all the Cubs in the Modern Era who have played 10 years or more with the team, here are all the Cubs, up to now, who played their entire careers with the Cubs:
Ernie Banks
Stan Hack
Yep, that’s it.
To that we will add Happ in 2026. And yet, Happ appears to be a flash point for many Cubs fans. I just don’t get it. Is it the low batting average? Basically, you know what you’re going to get with him regarding BA: career BA of .247, and the last three years have all been in that range. But you also get a decent OBP, because Happ walks a lot. A .343 lifetime OBP, and now the last FOUR years are basically in that range. And he hits home runs — at least 21 in four of the last five seasons, and 173 as a Cub overall. That ranks 15th in franchise history, one behind Andre Dawson. It’d be a bit of a stretch — and a career high of 27 — but he’s got an outside shot at getting to 200 in 2026. Just nine Cubs have hit 200 career homers for the franchise.
Happ is a remarkably consistent player year-to-year, though there are wild swings in his production in-season. Sometimes he goes into horrific slumps. Like this past season, when he hit .209/.303/.279 with one home run in his first 20 games. But then he goes on tremendous hot streaks — right after that he had a 16-game stretch in which he batted .391/.459/.578. This is who he is.
He’s also a terrific defender who’s won three Gold Gloves and likely takes home a fourth when they’re announced next week. (I can hear the naysayers now: “He only wins because there aren’t any other good defensive left fielders in the National League.”)
He’s a 4 WAR player and a thoughtful team leader. The Cubs are lucky to have him.
And I think that sort of thing is worth keeping around, for a while at least.
Yes, Happ turned 31 in August, so 2026 will be his age-31 season. And like all of us, not getting any younger. And likely will experience career decline within the next few years. Father Time is, as always, undefeated.
If it were up to me? I’d keep him around for three more years. Happ is entering the last year of a three-year, $61 million extension he signed in 2023 that covered 2024-26. He was paid $21 million each of the last two years and will make $19 million next year.
Happ’s not likely to get anything more than that in the FA market; his value, in my view, is higher for the Cubs than it would be for another team.
So how about three years at $15 million each, with a fourth-year team option at $20 million and a $3 million buyout?
That way, if he’s still productive after three more years, the Cubs could keep him for one more, otherwise it basically becomes a four-year, $48 million deal.
Who says no?
