Two Reports List Cubs Outfielder Ian Happ as Potential Trade Chip

Ian Happ trade rumors have reared their heads once again. After being one of the hottest names leading up to the 2022 trade deadline, the Chicago Cubs opted to hang onto left fielder Ian Happ, who still had a season and a half of team control thus not boxing the team into having to trade him.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan and MLB’s Mark Feinsand each mentioned Ian Happ as a trade chip that could get moved. Feinsand in particular stated that with the outfielder in his final year of arbitration, it’s possible the team deals him unless an extension gets done.

A trade of Happ would make little sense for a team that is expected to be active in free agency in an effort to compete in 2023 unless the Cubs were to go after someone like Aaron Judge, which isn’t expected.

The 28-year-old is coming off a season that saw a career high in contact rate, and a career low in strikeout rate as well as winning the first gold glove of his career. 

The Pittsburgh native also finished with an OPS of .781 as well as a 120 wRC+, making him successful at the plate and with the glove.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer previously alluded to being interested in extending players currently on the roster, and it’d be hard to imagine that Happ isn’t one of them. If the Cubs hope to compete in 2023, it’d be much more difficult without the left fielder than it would with him.

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