Chicago Cubs Rumors: Team making progress on Ian Happ extension

The Chicago Cubs had entered the offseason with the goal of signing both second baseman Nico Hoerner and left fielder Ian Happ to contract extensions and there was some disappointment when the talks appeared to have garnered no momentum once Spring Training started.

One day before the start of the season, the Cubs were able to agree to a three-year contract extension with Hoerner and the attention turned to Happ. It would appear that the Cubs have made progress in negotiations as the two sides may be finding common ground on extension talks.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was present on Marquee Sports Network's broadcast of Tuesday night's game against the Seattle Mariners and he had mentioned that the team had positive talks with Happ regarding an extension. At the time, it appeared to be a throwaway comment from Hoyer as he sidestepped the question yet again but now, perhaps he was offering a spoiler.

It should be worth noting that the Happ extension carrier a different weight than the extension that the team agreed to with Hoerner. With Hoerner, the goal likely was to buy out the remaining arbitration years for the second baseball while also adding an extra year of control.

With Happ, set to become a free agent at the end of the season, he is in a position to potentially be the best true position player on the market next winter. While Happ has stated previously that he would be willing to take a discount to remain with the Cubs, it is still likely that the team will need to be willing to reach lengths on a contract extension that they may have otherwise been unwilling to go in the past. The idea of the Cubs not only being aware of that but making progress with Happ is a sign that the organization truly has learned from their past mistakes.