(670 The Score) Outfielder Ian Happ and catcher Willson Contreras have been Cubs teammates in the big leagues since 2017, when Happ made his MLB debut one year after Contreras did.
They became quick friends, and in the past year, they've become even closer as a pair of veterans on the Cubs who weren't dealt amid the team's fire sale last summer. With another trade deadline now looming this Aug. 2, Happ is cherishing every moment he has with Contreras, knowing well this next week could be the end of their time together.
"Being able to share that (All-Star Game experience) with Willson and being able to share the last three or four months with him and try to take it all in and try and really appreciate all that time together, I think it has been something we've both really tried to do," Happ said in an interview with Dan Bernstein and Leila Rahimi on 670 The Score on Monday morning. "And since this time last year, we've gotten a lot closer and been able to really kind of cherish those moments and appreciate playing together and hitting back-to-back and all those little things. But to be able to go to the (All-Star Game) together, to be able to watch him and his brother play in the game together, to experience that together, being in the lineup back-to-back, all those things he got to do with his brother were really cool. But then how happy (Willson) was for me and how happy I was for him in his first time (going to the All-Star Game) but then like his third time, how special it was, we got to share a plane ride together with our families and I got to get to know his family a little bit, which was a really cool experience. Those are all those little things I won't forget.
"For everything that we've been through together in the last six years, to be able to share that kind of experience – we'll see what happens – but to share that experience, those memories, I don't know, it was hard to put into words how cool that is for us."
It feels inevitable that the Cubs will trade Contreras, as he's in the final season of his contract with extension talks failing to progress. Contreras, 30, is hitting .258 with 14 homers, 37 RBIs and an .844 OPS in 80 games entering Monday.
Happ's future is more uncertain, as he's under team control through 2023. Happ has shown quality improvement this season, hitting .279 with an .807 OPS, but it's unclear if the Cubs view him as a long-term piece or a potential trade chip.
Recently, speculation emerged that the Padres were interested in acquiring both Contreras and Happ in the same trade. Happ is unsure of what lies ahead for him personally.
"You never know what's going to happen," Happ said. "There's plenty of options and plenty of things the team can do, so we'll see what it's going to look like. I'm going to really enjoy the next couple of days at Wrigley and take everything in. We'll see. It's a very interesting time with a lot of emotions and a lot of things happening. Obviously, I've said over and over that I would love to be here long-term and enjoy this team, this group, the city, the staff, the fans, everything about Chicago. So we'll see what happens."
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