Cubs have 'had dialogue' with Happ, Hoerner agents on extensions

Cubs have ‘had dialogue’ with Happ, Hoerner agents on extensions

Happ, Hoerner extension ‘dialogues’ have begun originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

While Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer wouldn’t go into too many details, he did confirm during this weekend’s Cubs Convention that the team has “started the process” on possible extension talks with outfielder Ian Happ and infielder Nico Hoerner.

Happ reportedly agreed to a 1-year deal worth just under $11 million to avoid arbitration this season, but with his free agency looming and Hoerner establishing himself as a key figure in the team’s current plans, Hoyer says that discussions have at least begun.

“I can tell you that we have interest in both guys, keeping them long term,” he told reporters during a media event prior to Friday’s opening ceremonies. “We have started the process, I would say, with both. We have had dialogue with the agents. Where we are in the process or what the offers are, I would never reveal. Certainly there is a real desire on our part.”

Happ is coming off the best season of his big league career, earning a Gold Glove in left field and his first All-Star Game appearance. He slashed .271/.342/.440 in 641 plate appearances for the Cubs, hitting 17 home runs and driving in 72 RBI’s.

He is set to hit free agency at the end of the 2023 season, but indicated that he’s open to talking contract extensions with the North Siders.

“There’s so much uncertainty in this game, so when you can get some certainty at some point in your career, not many people get to achieve that,” Happ told reporters at Friday’s opening day of the convention, including The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma. “There’s a process to these things. There’s cost-certainty of the team, getting the roster together, understanding what the future commitments may look like. Then things start to fall into place after that.”

Happ told reporters that he’d “love to stay” in Chicago, but emphasized that the decisions are not entirely within his control.

In Hoerner’s case, he is still several years away from free agency, but he still fits prominently in the Cubs’ plans, even after the team signed shortstop Dansby Swanson to a massive contract this offseason.

Hoerner is a Gold Glove-caliber defender who is coming off a career season for the Cubs, but he isn’t letting extension talks get into his head.

“As far as a long-term deal, I prefer to keep that stuff private for sure. We will see where that goes,” he told reporters Friday.

If the Cubs were to sign Happ or Hoerner to a long-term deal, it would buck a recent trend for the club. The Cubs have largely been unsuccessful in extending players currently under team control, with pitcher Kyle Hendricks and infielder David Bote the lone exceptions to that rule.

Outfielder Kyle Schwarber, who was non-tendered by the Cubs after the 2020 season, and catcher Willson Contreras, who was allowed to leave via free agency, both walked out of town without new contracts.

Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Báez were all set to hit free agency after the 2021 season, and all three were dealt at the trade deadline.

Even with all of the spending they’ve done this offseason, the Cubs are still outside of the top-10 in baseball in terms of payroll, clocking in at just under $143 million, according to Spotrac. The team only has 11 players under contract for next season, with Marcus Stroman, Cody Bellinger and Trey Mancini all having opt-outs that could allow them to jump back into free agency.