The applause battled with the loudspeakers in the Sheraton Grand Chicago’s ballroom, drowning out pieces of host Cole Wright’s player introductions. But left fielder Ian Happ heard two words loud and clear: “All-Star” and “Gold Glover.”
“I listened to a few guys who were pretty good get announced like that when I was first coming up,” Happ said after the Cubs Convention opening ceremonies.
All the while, a back-and-forth between Happ’s representatives and the Cubs was playing out behind the scenes. Friday afternoon marked the deadline for arbitration eligible players and their teams to exchange salary figures for next season. But even when Happ left the stage Friday evening, it was unclear whether the parties would settle or head for arbitration, with the sides taking advantage of a soft deadline or dead period of sorts.
“This is the process,” Happ said Friday evening. “It’s not perfect, but it’s the process. It’s our [collectively] bargained right. And it’s pretty interesting to see how it goes.”
Happ, now in his third and final year of arbitration, has already beaten the Cubs in arbitration once before. In 2021, Happ’s first year of arbitration eligibility, he won his hearing to the tune of $4.1 million. Now, he’s coming off an All-Star and Gold Glove year.
On Friday, the Cubs avoided arbitration with three other players. They settled with Nico Hoerner on a $2,525,000 salary for next season, infielder Nick Madrigal at $1,225,000 and Codi Heuer at $785,000, sources confirmed.
The next question is, how many of those players can land extensions in the coming months?
“Historically, we’ve always tried to get extensions for players,” Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said in a conversation with the Sun-Times on Friday. “It hasn’t always worked out for us. We know at times, it’s a pretty good strategy.”
Happ, in his final year of club control, and Hoerner, who was arbitration-eligible for the first time this year, are the obvious extension candidates.
“We have interest in both guys and keeping them long term,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Friday. “We’ve started the process. We’ve had dialogue with the agents — and wherever that is in the process, I would never reveal, or what the offers are — but certainly, there’s a real desire.”
The mass exodus at the 2021 trade deadline can be traced back to the Cubs’ failure to extend their last core. Talks with Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javy B?ez fizzled, and they all entered their final year of club control with uncertainty looming.
With those trades, the Cubs dove into the deep end of a rebuild, snapping shut their last championship window less than five years after winning the World Series.
“We extended [Kyle] Hendricks, but everybody wanted to go ahead and test the waters in the free agent market,” Ricketts said. “That’s their right as a player. I give them credit for betting on themselves.
“Extensions work for the team a lot of times. They worked for the player a lot of times. If there’s one that makes sense, I’m sure Jed will do it.”
There are several steps the Cubs can take to lengthen their next window – continuing to strengthen the farm system, promoting development at the major-league level, anticipating roster holes. Extending homegrown players is one they can take this winter.
“Don’t hold me to this, but I don’t really love negotiating in spring training,” Hoyer said during GM meetings in November. “The more I do it, the more I think it causes real tension. Guys want to start the season. I’ve watched many deals fall apart in spring training. I just don’t think it’s a great way to start the season.”
Example A: Before the 2021 season, an exasperated Rizzo addressed stalled negotiations in a Zoom news conference, hardening his Opening Day deadline.
Now, Hoyer says he’d prefer to start extension talks earlier, avoiding opening and closing them over the span of a six-week spring training. Happ said that would be his preference too.
“There’s so much uncertainty in this game,” he said. “And and when you can get certainty at some point in your career, not that many people get to achieve that. It’s a pretty special thing.”
Securing a long-term commitment with Hoerner early, before he claims his fist Gold Glove or All-Star selection, could be financially advantageous for the team. But any negotiations with Happ have a more definite deadline, as he approaches free agency.
“I’ve loved almost every second of playing here and being a part of it,” Happ said. “And Wrigley’s special, the city is special, the fan base is special, all those things. It’s the only thing that I know. And on the other side of that, there’s 29 other teams that are competing and doing a great job. And you earn the right to be a free agent, that’s a special thing, too.”