Chicago Cubs workaround could keep veteran free agent on the team in 2027

The Chicago Cubs have a lot of big decisions to make this offseason. Aside from finding a way to overtake the NL Central-dominant Milwaukee Brewers, they also have to figure out which—if any—of their potential outgoing players they want to keep.

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Among those potentially heading off into free agency at the end of this season are their entire end-of-season starting rotation (Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, and David Peterson), catcher Carson Kelly, and corner outfielders Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki.

That’s a large chunk of a team’s veteran core to have to replace. That’s why there’s been a lot of debate as to who the Cubs could and should try to re-sign. Near the top of that list is their four-time Gold Glover, left fielder Happ.

Even World Series Cubs legend Anthony Rizzo has weighed in on the ‘will they/won’t they bring Happ back’ debate.

“I mean, he’s played there for 10 years,” Rizzo said in a recent interview with DJ Siddiqi. “He’s been an amazing Cub, very consistent over his time. A down year for him offensively, hitting right-handed, and I talked to him about this. His left-handed numbers were elite, over .800 OPS hitting left-handed, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Cubs maybe want to keep him as a platoon player and hit against righties, or they just move on and fill that left field void.

“But he’s a Gold Glove outfielder. He’s an elite, elite left fielder, and we’ll see how that all shapes out. But I know for Ian, wherever he goes, he’s going to be a good addition to that team for sure.”

Qualifying offer for Happ?

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But the Cubs could have an angle on this Happ dilemma that might, at the very least, allow them to kick the can down the road for another season before deciding whether to let the veteran walk. They could make him a qualifying offer for 2027.

Reported to be about $23.1 million this coming year, the qualifying offer would represent just over a $4 million raise for Happ and could be significantly more than he’d find on the open market. He may also grab at that offer to gamble on a bounce-back 2027 before free agency.

In the meantime, the Cubs could secure left field for at least one more season as the team’s highly-regarded outfield prospects (Josiah Hartshorn, Kane Kepley, and Ethan Conrad) move closer to their major league debuts.

A win-win, for now?

Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib, who initially tossed this idea out to the public, believes that this would be a win-win for both Happ and the team:

“If you’re Happ, getting paid excess of $23 million for a single season does appear to be the cap for what his offers will look like this offseason. In fact, considering his struggles to end the season, it may be a tad high. But, for the Cubs, with over $100 million coming off their books, it feels like a worthwhile maneuver. Happ returning via the qualifying offer would be an ideal outcome for both sides, considering it allows Happ another season to restore his value, and the gives the Cubs a bridge to the arrivals of Hartshorn and Kepley.”

Of course, Chicago could also make a qualifying offer to right fielder Seiya Suzuki—and they likely will. But Suzuki is in a different place than Happ right now and will almost surely reject it in favor of testing the open market.

The Cubs could do a lot worse than Happ for one more season for the $4 million extra it will cost them. This is definitely something worth looking into.

The post Chicago Cubs workaround could keep veteran free agent on the team in 2027 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-ian-happ-free-agent-seiya-suzuki-2027/