Just when we thought the Cubs wouldn’t go to an arbitration hearing, they might have one with Ian Happ:
Cubs and Happ unable to reach agreement and headed to arbitration hearing.
Will be Cubs' first since Grimm in 2018, just third since 1993 (also Theriot in 2010).— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) January 16, 2021Happ’s projected salary range, per MLB Trade Rumors, was between $2.5 million and $4.6 million.
It is true that in the last couple of years, teams have done arbitration under a “file and trial” theory, where if the player isn’t signed by the deadline (Friday), they don’t hold further negotiations until the trial.