Ian Happ Contract Extension: Chicago Cubs got another extension decision right

Wednesday was an important day for the Chicago Cubs organization as the team agreed to a three-year contract extension with All-Star left fielder Ian Happ. Happ's contract extension with the Cubs came two weeks after the team agreed to a three-year contract extension with shortstop Nico Hoerner.

The Cubs officially announced Happ's extension moments before he took the field in the team's afternoon game against the Seattle Mariners.

The loudest criticism of the Cubs front office led by Jed Hoyer was that the team gave off the impression that they were not interested in contract extensions with homegrown talent. Hoyer's inability to sign the likes of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez are decisions that some fans continue to foolishly bring up. Sure there is no doubt that if pressed, the Cubs would admit that letting go of Rizzo may have been a mistake but Bryant has struggled to stay on the field since being traded from the Cubs, and Tigers fans already have a countdown to when the team can be done with Baez's inflated contract.

Those were not mistakes made by Hoyer and, in fact, those decisions led to the Cubs farm system emerging as a Top-10 system in all of Major League Baseball in 2023. Outfielders Kevin Alcantara and Pete Crow-Armstrong headline a Cubs' class of prospects that were acquired through those decisions that were made and will be reaching the Major League level beginning potentially by the end of this season.

The Cubs' next contention window opens fully in 2024 and now was the time for Hoyer to pick the right players to extend and make the core that includes shortstop Dansby Swanson. Extending Ian Happ was another contract extension decision that the Cubs got right and it is time that we leave the misguided criticisms of Hoyer in the past.