Ranking 4 teams affiliated with Cubs Star

PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 22: Ian Happ #8 of the Chicago Cubs. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Cubs outfielder Ian Happ is likely to trade ahead of the trading deadline and there are four main teams that seem interested.

Jon Heyman of New York Post reported that the Chicago Cubs get “huge interest” in outfielder Ian Happ. Heyman cites the Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers as matches for Happ. It’s easy to see why the Cubs are attracting so much interest: he’s one of the best outfield players out there.

Happ was an All-Star this season and as of Sunday he had played in 98 games and was hitting .280/.361/.438 with an OPS+ of 124. That .361 on-base percentage is ninth in the National League. He also has nine home runs, 46 RBI and 25 doubles, the latter of which is seventh in the National League.

Happ also has some control as he is under team control throughout the 2023 season. Let’s rank the four teams Heyman listed based on their need for Happ and their chance of getting it.

Ian Happ exchanges rumours: Rank 4 reported teams interested in Cubs star

4.Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers lead the NL Central as they have a 57-45 record going into the month of August. They have some areas they want to improve, but the outfield might not be one of them.

Christian Yelich isn’t playing as well as he used to (especially with power), but he’s hit .318/.451/.458 in his last 30 games (on Sunday). They will not replace this left field production. Tyrone Taylor recently beat in midfield for a lot of power. In his last 25 games on Sunday, he hit .253/.310/.519 with five homers and 11 RBI.

Right fielder Hunter Renfroe was back off the injured list just over two weeks ago and he’s also batting after plenty of power. As of Sunday, he had played in 13 games since his return, hitting .222/.276/.556 with five homers and 14 RBI. Their primary DH Andrew McCutchen (who is also an outfielder) is also hitting .294/.378/.490 with six homers and 22 RBI in his last 36 games.

So there’s no obvious place for Happ and that’s not even the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that the Cubs probably don’t want to face Happ in a dozen or more games (depending on what the new “balanced schedule” is) next season. The Brewers also probably don’t want to trade their prospects to the Cubs and have them in their division for the next half decade or more.

It’s a good thought, but the Brewers should be fourth among teams… and a distant fourth at that.