Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are both free agents after 2026. Who should the Cubs keep?

This spring, the Cubs have given contract extensions to two key players — Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner.

Other teams have done the same, primarily with young players, some even with players who have yet to play a MLB game.

The Cubs have two veteran players who don’t really fit either category above, but who have both been important contributors to the team in recent years — Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. Both are free agents after this season. They are almost exactly the same age, born 10 days apart (Happ, Aug. 8, 1994 and Suzuki, Aug, 18, 1994). So both turn 32 later this year.

Happ has been a consistent 4 bWAR player over the past four seasons. He’s won Gold Gloves each of those four seasons, and almost always posts an OPS near his career average of .790. You know you’re going to get around 22-23 home runs every year from him, a lot of walks that produce around a .340 OBP even with a BA in the .240s. He is a respected clubhouse leader. He’s already hit four home runs this year — last year he didn’t hit his fourth homer until June 5.

Suzuki has been a bit injury-prone, but had a breakout 2025 season in which he batted .245/.326/.478 with 32 home runs and 103 RBI. The latter two numbers were career highs, as were his runs total (75), his 31 doubles, and 75 walks. He began 2025 mostly as a DH, but when Kyle Tucker went down with various injuries, Suzuki played 48 games in the outfield and was at least competent. (Granted, he has shown little of the defensive form that had him win NPB’s Golden Glove Award five times.)

Suzuki is off to a somewhat slow start this year, .261/.393/.261 (6-for-23), with five walks giving him a decent OBP. But that’s only six games for Seiya, and I feel certain he’ll come close to matching his 2025 numbers in 2026.

So of these two, which one would you want the Cubs to extend? Or both? Or neither?

Personally, I think I’d rather keep Suzuki. It seems to me that he might provide a bit more power over the next few years than Happ, and he could slide into a DH role if needed.