Hey, hey! Never say never, as the Chicago Cubs and Ian Happ have agreed to a contract extension that will keep the all-star outfielder on the north side for at least four more seasons, including 2023.

Michael Cerami broke the news on Wednesday, reporting that the three-year contract extension is worth $61 million. The new deal is set to begin in 2024. Happ was set to become a free agent following the 2023 season.

Jed Hoyer and the Cubs have now worked out contract extensions with Happ and Nico Hoerner this year, both for three years.

In the offseason, Happ entered his final arbitration eligible season and worked out his salary for 2023, which was set at $10.85 million. Fans have been hearing a lot of rumblings about contract negotiations between the Cubs and a few of their players since the offseason began. Eventually, the team worked out a three-year deal with Hoerner that will also begin in 2024. That extension is worth $35 million, which became official right before Opening Day.

Once the season got underway, most Cubs fans assumed that Happ and the team would no longer discuss an extension and he would play out 2023 and test the market in free agency. So, it is great to see the Cubs lock up another key player on their roster. These deals may not be long and don’t guarantee that Happ and Hoerner will be lifelong Cubs, but it does keep them around for their prime years, they get financial security in the short term and the team remains flexible to make other moves without any long contracts on their payroll.

So, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are currently the position players locked up to guaranteed deals for three-plus seasons following 2023.

Ian Happ Career Resurgence

Ian Happ made his MLB debut in 2017, and as a rookie he blasted 24 home runs in 115 games. His sophomore year started with a memorable Opening Day home run on the very first pitch of the season against the Miami Marlins, but Happ finished 2018 with underwhelming numbers as the entire Cubs offense went in the tank in the second half of the season.

In 2019, Happ was demoted to Triple-A out of spring training and wasn’t called back up until July. Although Happ has had a few rough patches since then, especially in the first half of 2021, when he wasn’t getting consistent playing time, Happ has established himself as one of the better left fielders in baseball, both on the field and at the plate.

From 2019-present, Happ has a slash line of .254/.341/.461, with a 118 wRC+. Last year, Happ made his first all-star game appearance, and won a gold glove in left field. The switch-hitter slashed .271/.342/.440, and had a 120 wRC+ in 158 games.

So far in 2023, Happ is off to his best start, posting a .467 OBP through the Cubs first 10 games of the season.

Happ was already locked in and I’m sure his mind will be at ease now that he’s agreed to a new contract extension.