The Cubs began the 2026 season with significant extensions. They locked down a center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and a veteran second baseman Nico Hoerner with contracts that will keep both players in the city until the end of the 2032 season. Even after extending Hoerner (who was a pending free agent before signing), however, the Cubs are in a position to lose a lot of talent this offseason. Sixty percent of the club’s first cycle (Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boydagain Jameson Taillon) is expected to hit free agency after the season. This also holds Carson KellyLast year under contract.
The most notable players the team will lose in free agency, however, are Crowe-Armstrong’s partners in the outfield: the left fielder. Ian Happ and right field Seiya Suzuki. Whether the deal will be with Happ or Suzuki remains to be seen. As of two months ago, both Happ and Suzuki indicated that they had not spoken to the Cubs about an extension yet. That could change with one phone call, of course, but there is no evidence so far that the parties have held talks so far. On the surface, the argument for extending one or both of the team’s cornerbacks seems obvious: both have been productive for Chicago.
Happ is now in his tenth season as a big leaguer, and he has never posted a below-average wRC+ season in that span. Since the departure of the World Series-winning core in 2016, Happ has been the club’s longest-tenured player and a regular offender. From 2022 onward, he slashed .250/.346/.435 (119 wRC+) overall with impressive year-to-year consistency. His wRC+ has dipped between 116 and 122 over the last four years, and defensively each of those seasons ended with him being awarded the NL’s Gold Glove for his work in left field. Despite his on-field value, Happ also holds a meaningful place in Cubs history with a chance to finish the year among the franchise’s top 10 all-time home runs.
Suzuki, on the other hand, joined the Cubs after leaving Japan ahead of the 2022 season and has only improved in his four years with the club. A career .269/.346/.472 (127 wRC+) hitter in the majors, he was arguably the Cubs’ most productive hitter during his time with the club. Since arriving in the majors in 2022, Suzuki is the 11th best player in the majors in wRC+ (minimum 1500 plate appearances). That puts him just behind Byron Buxton again Julio Rodriguezsitting in front Fernando Tatis Jr. again Corbin Carroll. Those are the middle-order superstars Suzuki is rubbing elbows with from a statistical standpoint, and that kind of impact would be hard to replace.
That doesn’t mean extending either player is a slam-dunk decision, as both come with flaws. Both will celebrate their 32nd birthdays in August, making them near the end of their prime. And no player is perfect. Suzuki’s offense is undeniable, but his defensive struggles on the field have been well-documented and led to him spending much of the 2025 campaign as the team’s DH. He has also struggled to stay healthy in the majors, as he has only played 150 games in his career. He has already started 2026 on the disabled list due to a knee injury he suffered during the World Baseball Classic.
Happ, on the other hand, is a complete player but the offensive production he provides is very easy to find. Taylor Ward, Teoscar Hernandez, Brendan Donovan, Jarren Duran, Anthony Santander, Randy Arozarenaagain Brandon Nimmo all are within three points of Happ’s wRC+ from 2022-25 on one side or the other. All of those players are top-notch pieces, but there’s no doubt that team has moved from the strange place Suzuki’s numbers put him in.
Another important aspect that hasn’t been mentioned about Lamb’s decisions about Suzuki and Happ is the availability of quality alternatives. Arozarena is set to hit free agency this year and is comparable to Happ and Suzuki in terms of age and production, but they are arguably the top three players on the market this winter. Players love it Trent Grisham again Ramon Laureano they don’t have the long records offered by Happ and Suzuki, while someone would George Springer comes with age-related concerns given that he will turn 37 in September. If the Cubs are going to dip into free agency for outfield help this winter, they’ll be hard-pressed to find an upgrade over the guys they already have.
In terms of in-house options to cover the duo, the Cubs are very thin. High foreign hope Owen Caissie faced Miami in the offseason Edward Cabrera. Kevin Alcantara He’s a top prospect right now in Triple-A, but the 23-year-old has struggled in limited opportunities in the majors and is finding value defensively in center field, a position he won’t play on a Crowe-Armstrong lineup. 2025 first round Ethan Conrad he is highly regarded in scouting circles but is still years away from the majors. Matt Shaw was displaced from third place by the inclusion of Alex Bregman and got reps in right field while Suzuki was on the shelf, but he was a below-average offensive player last year and had no experience in the outfield before this spring.
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