Prior to the Chicago Cubs opening a three-game set against the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers, President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer addressed the organization’s trajectory ahead of the looming trade deadline. His latest comments all but confirm the Cubs are probably pulling out of contention in 2024 and will begin preparing for 2025 and beyond. But don’t tell outfielder Ian Happ that. He’s not waving a white flag, nor does he hear a bell ringing.
Happ continued his hot streak when he shot a laserbeam home run to right field in the sixth inning of Monday night’s victory. In the last month of play, Happ leads the team with seven home runs, twenty runs batted in, and an OPS of .960. After a tumultuous start to 2024, Happ has settled into the All-Star many hoped he’d remain.
Is it too little too late for the Cubs in 2024? Probably. Happ and the rest of the clubhouse probably understand the qualm they’ve put themselves in. They’re nine games back in the National League Central with 60 games left to play. If the trade deadline were today, a couple of the guys in the clubhouse could be on their way out the door. But Happ vocalized yesterday what their intentions are for the next two weeks.
Ian Happ met with the media after his home run contributed to a big win over the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. He spoke on the reality of where the Cubs are and what the mindset is of the clubhouse. Happ believes it is on them to make Jed Hoyer’s job hard as the trade deadline approaches. The better they can perform these next couple of weeks, the harder it will be for Hoyer to break things up and throw in the towel in 2024.
Happ also mentioned the increased opportunity they have because of the expansion of the playoffs. The Cubs sit just 3.5 games out of the race for the final Wild Card spot. As we saw last year, all a team has to do is get into the dance. The Arizona Diamondbacks squeezed their way into that position last season and took themselves all the way to the World Series.
After this Brewers series at home, the Cubs will play three games on the road in Kansas City against the Royals. They will then travel to Cincinnati to play three games against the Reds. The Major League Baseball trade deadline is July 30th at 6:00 p.m. EST.
Ian Happ and the Cubs will have six more games (likely less) to prove to Jed Hoyer they can stay in contention for a playoff spot. Otherwise, they will be looking for ways to improve their future.
