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Cubs Promote Ian Happ

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12:54pm: The Cubs have optioned righty Felix Pena to Iowa to make room for Happ, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets.

12:32pm: The Cubs will, in fact, promote Happ, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune writes (Twitter links). Happ will bat second and play right field for the Cubs today. No corresponding move has yet been announced.

11:28am: The Cubs could promote top prospect Ian Happ as a short-term replacement today as a result of injuries to Addison Russell, Jon Jay and Kris Bryant, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com’s tweets. Russell is currently listed as day-to-day with shoulder soreness. Jay left yesterday’s game due to back spasms, and Bryant sat out yesterday due to illness. A promotion would give Happ his first taste of big-league action. He is not yet on their 40-man roster.

The 22-year-old Happ was the ninth overall pick in the 2015 draft out of the University of Cincinnati. He’s raced through the minors and is off to a hot start with Triple-A Iowa, batting .298/.362/.615 with nine homers in 116 plate appearances thus far in 2017. MLB.com currently rates him the No. 23 prospect in the game, with Baseball America placing him at No. 55 and ESPN’s Keith Law (Insiders only) at No. 63. MLB.com’s praises the switch-hitter’s bat speed and plate discipline, noting that he could eventually become a 20-20 player in the big leagues.

Happ has split his time between second base and the outfield as a pro, although MLB.com suggests his eventual destination is left field. The Cubs, of course, have Kyle Schwarber in left and Javier Baez and Ben Zobrist available at second, although they’re generally flexible in their lineup construction, and it doesn’t appear they’re planning to clear a permanent space for Happ right now anyway. If they were to promote him now, the move might well be temporary, as Muskat suggests — the Cubs have plenty of talent if everyone is healthy, and Happ has limited Triple-A experience and would likely become a Super Two player if he were to arrive in the big leagues and remain there.

Cubs Place Jason Heyward On 10-Day DL

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  • Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward is heading to the 10-day DL with a hand injury, as Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com was among those to report (Twitter link). For now, he’ll be replaced on the active roster by righty Dylan Floro. At present, there’s no reason to think that Heyward will require a lengthy rest. He’ll no doubt be anxious to get back to work at improving upon his stunningly poor 2016 season. There have been some signs of life, though Heyward is hitting just .253/.333/.364 with three home runs over 111 plate appearances.

Padres Acquire Matt Szczur

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The Padres have acquired outfielder Matt Szczur from the Cubs, per club announcements. Chicago will acquire righty Justin Hancock in exchange for Szczur, who had been designated for assignment.

Since the Cubs were able to find some kind of return for the out-of-options Szczur, there must’ve been interest from other organizations. The 27-year-old had not been playing much this year in Chicago, recording just four hits in 23 trips to the plate, and has long been seen as a possible trade target for other organizations.

Last season, though, Szczur played a bigger role on the Cubs’ World Series-winning roster. He appeared in 107 games, in fact, though he took only 200 plate appearances. Szczur slashed a solid .259/.312/.400 with five home runs on the year while providing quality glovework. Szczur has typically performed much better against left-handed than right-handed pitching, so he’ll presumably function in some kind of platoon with San Diego.

In order to acquire Szczur, the Friars gave up Hancock, a 26-year-old hurler who has shown promise at times. But he has been hit hard in the early going at Double-A this year — where he has converted to a pen role after previously working almost exclusively as a starter. Hancock ranked as San Diego’s No. 25 prospect (per Baseball America) prior to the 2016 season, drawing praise for a 92-95 mph fastball and a changeup that flashes plus on occasion. BA notes that his slight frame and lack of a true out pitch make a future as a starter unlikely, however, and the Padres seemingly agreed by shifting him to relief work in 2017. Injuries may also have played a part in changing Hancock’s role, as he spent the majority of the 2016 season on the disabled list with Triple-A El Paso after an arthroscopic procedure on his right shoulder.

Will The Cubs Make A Big Deadline Move?

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  • While the Cubs’ trade deadline moves may not reach the blockbuster level of last year’s Aroldis Chapman trade, the team has the resources to make upgrades if necessary, CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney writes.  The Cubs’ hot start and their clear need at the back of the bullpen led to the aggressive Chapman move, GM Jed Hoyer said, though it’s still a bit early to say what the most pressing need is for this year’s team.  “You can’t get in a cycle where you’re always doing something for rentals,” Hoyer said.  “But at the same time, every season is sacred and you only have (so many chances).  There are going to be years where things don’t come together, you have injuries, another team runs away with it.  That’s going to happen.  So when you know you’re in a good position, (go for it).”

Brett Anderson Likely Headed To DL

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  • Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Saturday that he expects left-hander Brett Anderson to land on the DL, tweets Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. Maddon added that either Mike Montgomery or Eddie Butler would replace Anderson in the Cubs’ rotation, according to Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago (Twitter link). Anderson started the Cubs’ 11-6 loss to the Yankees, recording just one out and allowing five runs on six hits, before departing with lower back tightness. Injuries are nothing new for Anderson, who missed most of last season after undergoing back surgery as a member of the Dodgers in March 2016. While Anderson has generally been effective during the healthy points of his career, he hasn’t pitched well in his first year with the Cubs. The free agent pickup has registered an 8.18 ERA, 6.55 K/9 and a 4.91 BB/9 in six starts (22 innings).

Cubs Designate Matt Szczur For Assignment

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The Cubs have designated outfielder Matt Szczur for assignment, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com was among those to report (on Twitter). In a corresponding move, the club has recalled left-hander Rob Zastryzny from Triple-A Iowa.

The out-of-options Szczur won an Opening Day roster spot with the reigning World Series champion Cubs during spring training, but he got off to a subpar start in limited action. In 23 plate appearances this season, the 27-year-old has batted .211/.273/.263 for a team that has plenty of other outfield options in Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber, Ben Zobrist, Jon Jay and Albert Almora Jr..

While Szczur hasn’t been much of an offensive threat since making his major league debut in 2014, he was a was a respectable reserve for the Cubs last year. The right-handed-hitter posted a .259/.312/.400 line in 200 PAs while logging time at all three outfield positions. A fifth-round pick in 2010, Szczur has spent his entire career with the Cubs thus far, but his tenure with the organization is now in jeopardy of ending.

Cubs Explored Offseason Extension With Willson Contreras

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  • In addition to kicking around some ideas with Kris Bryant, which didn’t seem to gain much traction, the Cubs held some talks over the winter with catcher Willson Contreras, according to Heyman. It seems that the backstop’s reps weren’t keen on Chicago’s ideas, which would’ve included “multiple options” — no surprise, given that Contreras has just 108 days of MLB service under his belt.

N.L. Notes: Bellinger, Harvey, d’Arnaud, Bryant

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Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts acknowledged after last night’s game that there’s a chance top prospect Cody Bellinger won’t be optioned back to Triple-A when Joc Pederson is ready to return, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register was among those to report. The 21-year-old has only 32 plate appearances under his belt, but he is batting a robust .345/.406/.655 with three walks to go with five strikeouts. “I think I belong,” said Bellinger. His manager seemingly agreed, praising the youngster and noting that “things can change” when addressing the question whether Bellinger would be sent back as planned. The question remains one of playing time, as the organization no doubt prefers that Bellinger play more or less every day. Unless first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is sent to the DL to rest his forearm or the club decides to reduce the playing time of its existing group of outfielders, that might be difficult for the Dodgers to arrange.

Here’s more from the National League:

  • While Mets players and coaches say Matt Harvey has been on the rebound in terms of his stuff, the results just haven’t been there, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo explores. Both Harvey and manager Terry Collins say they believe the issue is command, especially with his secondary offerings. Whatever the cause, it’s concerning. While Harvey’s average velocity isn’t too far from his typical range, he is managing only a 7.4% swinging-strike rate. That has left him with as many earned runs as strikeouts (5.14 per nine apiece) over his 35 innings this year.
  • Meanwhile, Mets catch Travis d’Arnaud left yesterday’s game when his recent wrist injury “acted up,” in the words of Collins and as DiComo further reports. It’s not immediately clear whether he’ll miss any time; presumably, that’ll depend upon how the joint responds today. The 28-year-old has rebounded somewhat after a rough 2016 season at the plate. Over his 66 plate appearances, he owns a .203/.288/.475 batting line with four home runs and six walks against just 11 strikeouts — and a .182 BABIP that could suggest some misfortune.
  • Though Cubs star Kris Bryant was forced out of last night’s game with a calf issue, it doesn’t sound as if it’s much cause for concern. Bryant told reporters, including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter), that he is very confident of returning to the lineup today. Unsurprisingly, the 25-year-old has continued to rake in his third MLB campaign. Over 122 plate appearances, he’s slashing .291/.393/.553 — a near-exact match for the 2016 batting line that helped him to the NL MVP award.

Cubs Had Interest In Drafting Andrew Benintendi

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  • The Cubs had their eyes on Andrew Benintendi in the 2015 draft, and the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier writes that Chicago “seemed likely” to take Benintendi with the ninth overall pick.  “His agent heard from the Cubs that he was the guy they wanted,” Chris Benintendi, Andrew’s father, said.  Before the Cubs could make their move, however, the Red Sox snagged Benintendi with the seventh overall pick.  Though the Cubs took highly-regarded prospect Ian Happ with their selection, this could be an interesting what-if scenario for Cubs fans if and when Benintendi’s star continues to rise.
  • On the flip side of the “one that got away” coin, Speier also examines an alternate reality where the Red Sox didn’t trade Anthony Rizzo to the Padres as part of the blockbuster that brought Adrian Gonzalez to Boston in the 2010-11 offseason.  At the time, Rizzo was just a promising first base prospect sent along with first-rounders Casey Kelly and Reymond Fuentes in exchange for an established star in Gonzalez.  That trade, of course, had enormous long-reaching implications on the recent pasts of the Red Sox, Cubs, Padres, and Dodgers, to name just a few teams that would’ve been impacted had that trade not been completed.  (For instance, if the Red Sox had re-signed Adrian Beltre that winter and moved Kevin Youkilis to first base rather than acquire Gonzalez, then obviously the last six years of Rangers baseball is greatly different.)

Kris Bryant May “Just Play It Out” Rather Than Seek Extension

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There was little traction between reigning NL MVP Kris Bryant and the Cubs in their extension talks earlier this winter, so it perhaps isn’t surprising that Bryant doesn’t seem to be in any particular rush to lock up a long-term commitment.

“I guess it’s a little early,” Bryant told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I still feel super young. I’m still getting used to all of this playing at this level. I’ll listen to whatever they have to say, but I just think that it might be in my best interest to just play it out and see where things go….I’d rather just now focus on baseball and playing and not have any other distractions off the field like that, just because it’ll take away from my play on the field.”

Bryant, of course, has already pulled down a couple of notable paydays in his brief but outstanding professional career.  The 25-year-old signed with the Cubs for a $6.7084 bonus after being drafted second overall in 2013, and he will be paid $1.05MM in 2017, a record sum for a pre-arbitration player.  He will also be in line for a very enriching trip through the arbitration process beginning next winter, as Bryant is a virtual lock for a fourth year of arb eligibility as a Super Two player.

Given that Bryant entered tonight’s action with a .290/.396/.495 slash line over his 111 PA, he looks well on the way to matching or topping his superb numbers from his first two seasons, when he won NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2015 and followed it up with an MVP Award in 2016.  Bryant may well set another arbitration-related record in the offseason by earning the highest amount ever given to a player in his first year of arb-eligibility; Ryan Howard’s $10MM salary from the 2007-08 offseason is the current benchmark.  Barring injury or a significant downturn in performance, Bryant looks to be on pace to bank over $50MM through his four arbitration years before reaching free agency after the 2021 season.

Besides his comments and the lack of a driving financial incentive to sign a multi-year extension, there’s also the fact that Bryant is represented by Scott Boras, whose clients generally end up testing the open market rather than pursuing extensions with their original teams.  Boras recently discussed the Bryant talks, negotiating with Theo Epstein, and his general outlook on extensions in a wide-ranging and fascinating interview with Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci.

From the Cubs’ perspective, obviously they would like to keep one of the game’s best players in the fold, though there is also a case to be made that the Cubs may have no issue with going year-to-year with Bryant.  Extensions that cover arbitration years usually lock in some type of cost certainty for the team, though that is of less import with the Cubs given their payroll capacity.

The Cubs also have such a wealth of talent both on their current roster and in the minor league pipeline that, while losing Bryant would certainly be a blow, Chicago is much better-equipped than most franchises to withstand the loss of a superstar.  Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer could instead focus on extensions with other young stars like Kyle Hendricks, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber or Javier Baez — more urgently, the team will have to address big names like Jake Arrieta, Wade Davis and John Lackey hitting free agency this winter.  With Bryant still under control for four-plus seasons, inking him to an extension isn’t an especially pressing need for the Cubs, and of course quite a bit could change on either side between now and the end of the 2021 season.

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