Cubs rumor likely rules out Ian Happ as Randy Arozarena's Mariners replacement

It's pretty much expected that Randy Arozarena is gone, leading to plenty of discussion about who the Mariners can bring in to replace him. One of our preferred options is Seiya Suzuki, but with the big-spending Blue Jays reportedly interested in him, you can probably forget about that. Now, it's seemingly also going to be the case in respect of Ian Happ.

Earlier this month, we pitched the idea of Happ as a potential Plan B for the Mariners to pursue during the offseason. Sure, he's not on the same level offensively as Arozarena or Suzuki, but he's still long been considered as a solid bat. Where he really could have benefited the M's is with his defense, as a four-time Gold Glove Award winner who this season ranked in the 81st percentile for Fielding Run Value.

However, as reported by Pat Ragazzo for Cubbies Crib, there's every chance Happ's time in Chicago might not be coming to an end despite his pending free agency. Referencing a source familiar with the 2022 All-Star's thinking, he will potentially take a hometown discount to remain with the Cubs. We can appreciate why he would be open to this, given that he's played his entire career on the North Side of Chicago.

At the same time, you do have to wonder if Happ would still at least see what the market is like out there for his services? He might not be considered a high profile name, but that doesn't mean there wouldn't be interest in him. Earlier this month, Jake Mintz of Yahoo Sports ranked him 14th among pending free agents and earlier in the season had him in the top 10.

Any potential interest by the Mariners in Ian Happ wouldn't be straightforward

Of course, at this stage we don't even know if the Mariners would have any interest in Happ anyway. And even if they did, there is at least some reason to be concerned about him despite his tremendous defense. While he once again cranked out 20+ home runs and showed his almost innate ability to manufacture walks, there was a noticeable decline in his hitting as highlighted by a .218 batting average and .738 OPS which were both career-lows.

As for the financial side of things, while Happ might be willing to accept a hometown discount to stay with the Cubs, the one thing which would turn his head elsewhere is a lucrative offer. However -- as with Suzuki and the Blue Jays -- we find it hard to envision the Mariners getting into a bidding war for the 32-year-old. As durable as he has been over the years and as much as he played through various knocks this season, it's going to catch up with him sooner than later.

Why someone such as Happ would help is due to the combination of his leadership, experience and aforementioned excellent defense -- all areas which the Mariners absolutely need help in. Again though, we don't even know if and how much interest Jerry Dipoto and company would have in him. In any event it likely doesn't matter now anyway if his preference is to remain in Chicago, meaning you can expect plenty more discussions about outfield replacements for Arozarena in the coming weeks and months.

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