The Orioles officially declined their $1.2MM club option on lefty Mark Hendrickson, according to a team press release. They'll pay a $200K buyout instead. The move was widely expected.
Hendrickson, a 6'9" southpaw, turned 36 in June. This year he posted a 5.26 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, and 42.9% groundball rate in 75.3 innings. He deserved an ERA more like 4.18, according to Baseball Prospectus' SIERA stat. Hendrickson's FanGraphs splits show he's been plenty effective against left-handed batters over the past few years.
