Injury-Riddled Atlanta Braves Could Make Good Use Of Versatile Ian Happ

Because he can play both second base and the outfield, Ian Happ has attracted the attention of the Atlanta Braves, a team that has lost starters at both positions.

Should he land in Atlanta, Happ could succeed fellow switch-hitter Ozzie Albies at second base until the former All-Star returns late next month. He could also take turns in left field, where Adam Duvall had season-ending wrist surgery after a collision with an outfield wall last week.

The Braves, seeking their fifth straight division title, started play Tuesday two games behind the New York Mets in the National League East.

Although Willson Contreras is widely considered the top trade piece of the disappointing Cubs, Happ could be the centerpiece of a package that also includes a pricey reliever, perhaps David Robertson or the younger Mychal Givens.

Numerous teams have asked about Happ, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com and Dennis Lin of The Athletic, with the San Diego Padres reportedly pursuing Happ and Contreras in the same swap.

The trade deadline of August 2 is final for teams seeking to improve potential post-season rosters. The long-standing tradition of waiver deals by the end of August was eliminated last year.

Happ has spent most of this season playing left field, where he is at his best defensively and would be an enormous improvement over weak-armed Marcell Ozuna in Atlanta. The Braves have also been disappointed by lefty-hitting slugger Eddie Rosario, who missed several months after eye surgery but has not recaptured the form that made him Most Valuable Player of last year’s National League Championship Series.

Should Atlanta land Happ, that would also help an offense that leads the league in strikeouts. Happ is a patient hitter who draws a fair share of walks. He also has good speed on the bases.

Trading Happ would allow the Cubs to pare payroll, improve their farm system, and better their pitching staff. The Braves have already moved outfield prospects Cristian Pache and Drew Waters in separate swaps but might consider trading struggling starter Ian Anderson, the weak link in their 2022 rotation but a past post-season standout.

Happ, 27, has spent his entire career with the Cubs, playing every position but pitcher, catcher, and shortstop. A .241 lifetime hitter, he had a personal peak of 25 home runs in 2021. But he produced his best batting average this year, with a .282 mark through the first 94 games. That earned him a spot on the National League All-Star team, along with Contreras.

Happ can’t become a free agent until the end of the 2023 campaign, which makes his acquisiton more appealing than that of Contreras, who would probably be a two-month rental.

Any acquiring team would have to pay Happ the remainder of the $6.9 million he is owed this year plus an estimated $10 million if he’s retained for 2023.

Needing left-handed power in the wake of Rosario’s problems and Freddie Freeman’s free-agent transfer to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Braves have also been linked to left-handed slugger Joc Pederson, whom they acquired from the Cubs before last year’s trade deadline. Now with San Francisco on a one-year, $17 million contract inked as a free agent, Pederson was an All-Star starter for the NL at the July 19 game in Dodger Stadium.

If the Happ talks succeed, Atlanta could use him at second base, where neither Orlando Arcia nor Robinson Cano have filled the void created with Albies fractured a foot on June 13 in a game against the Washington Nationals.

The Cubs began play Tuesday fourth in the five-team NL Central, 13½ games behind the front-running Milwaukee Brewers and a half-game behind the third-place Pittsburgh Pirates with a record of 39-57.

Chicago ranks 14th in player payroll, according to Spotrac, at $150,381,928.