Ian Happ shares emotional Wrigley Field moment with Cubs fans that feels like possible farewell

There was a lot for the Chicago Cubs to celebrate on Thursday, including Pete Crow-Armstrong's 40th stolen base of the season - making him just the seventh player ever to join the 40-40 club - and a victory over the Miami Marlins that clinched their spot in the postseason bracket for the second consecutive year.

However, there was also a bittersweet moment before the game we'd be remiss not to look back on. Due for his first foray into free agency this offseason, Ian Happ is winding down what could be his final season with the Cubs. He said that he'd savor the moment, appreciating the 10 years of memories he's built up since debuting in 2017.

He certainly lived up to his word, interacting with the fans in the left field bleachers and even tossing them a baseball with some cash taped to it for some mid-game refreshments.

There's no guarantee that this will be the end of his tenure in Chicago, but it certainly feels like we may have just seen the last of Happ in a Cubs uniform at Wrigley Field.

Ian Happ set to cap off 10-year Cubs legacy with one more playoff run

With the Cubs slipping to the second Wild Card spot in the NL (at least for the moment), they'd need to advance past the Padres in order to get the right to host even one playoff game. Getting Happ an October send-off would be particularly meaningful, though that doesn't negate the difficult decision that's coming in a few months.

With both Happ and Seiya Suzuki due for free agency, the expectation is that the Cubs will only retain one of their veteran corner outfielders on an extension. That either-or scenario does Happ no favors, since Suzuki has thoroughly outplayed him this year in terms of wRC+ (134 to 110) and fWAR (4.3 to 2.7).

If that means that this is truly the end of the road for the left fielder, it's worth taking a moment to celebrate his journey. A first-round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, Happ tore his way through the minors, debuting less than two years later with a home run against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

Over 10 years in Chicago he's put together quite the résumé, including an All-Star nod in 2022 and four consecutive Gold Glove awards from that year through the present. He's accumulated 1,069 hits, 656 runs, 625 RBIs, 197 homers, and 23.4 fWAR in that span, all of which easily pace the team since his debut. He is also the only member of the organization to have 1,000 or more games played under his belt over the past decade.

Coming up on what could be his final few games with the Cubs, it's best to celebrate what he's brought to this team and city every chance we can.

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