Happ sought advice from Rizzo ahead of Cubs deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ is now locked up through the 2026 season with the team, and he sought advice from one of his former teammates when making one of the biggest decisions of his life.
Happ signed a three-year contract extension with the Cubs on Wednesday, and before inking that deal, he says he spoke to Anthony Rizzo about the process and what to expect.
“I definitely talked to Rizz,” he said. “He’s such a good friend. Seeing those guys (including Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras) and being there with those guys through the process and learning from his experience and having his guidance (was huge).”
Rizzo famously was offered multiple contract extensions by the Cubs, one for four years and $60 million and one for five years and $70 million. He rejected both deals and felt they fell well short of his fair market value, and ultimately he was traded to the New York Yankees during the 2021 season.
It doesn’t seem as though there are many hard feelings when it comes to Rizzo’s thoughts on the Cubs, as he has now talked to Happ about signing an extension in Chicago, as well as to former Yankees teammate Jameson Taillon when he was going through free agency over the winter.
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Taillon says he spoke to Rizzo, as well as former Cubs Trevor Williams and Scott Effross, about what it was like to play on the North Side.
“All the feedback I got was like ‘dude, if you have the opportunity to play there, you really have to take it,’” he told media after he signed his four-year deal with the club.
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