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Kyle Hendricks Planning To Pitch In 2025

By Darragh McDonald | September 19, 2024 at 8:22pm CDT

The past few years have been challenging for right-hander Kyle Hendricks but he’s not thinking about stepping away from the game. He tells Patrick Mooney of The Athletic that he “100 percent” plans to continue his career next year. “Absolutely,” Hendricks said. “I’ll take a step back (once the season ends to) reevaluate and refocus, but I definitely would love to keep pitching.”

Hendricks is slated to reach free agency for the first time this winter. He and the Cubs signed a four-year, $55.5MM extension in March of 2019, with that pact also containing a 2024 club/vesting option. That deal came amid the strongest stretch of the righty’s career. From 2014 to 2020, he tossed over a thousand innings with a 3.12 earned run average, 20.8% strikeout rate, 5.3% walk rate and 47.5% ground ball rate. On top of that, he also made a bunch of postseason starts for the Cubs, including five outings with a 1.42 ERA for the curse-breaking 2016 team.

Things haven’t been as smooth since then, however. In 2021, his strikeout rate dropped to 16.7% and his ERA climbed to 4.77. In 2022, he made 16 starts with a 4.80 ERA before a capsular tear in his right shoulder put him on the injured list. He didn’t require surgery but was out of action until late May 2023.

He was able to get back on track a bit from there. He made 24 starts in that 2023 season with a 3.74 ERA. His strikeouts were still down at 16.1%, but he lowered his walk rate to a tiny 4.7% clip and got grounders on 46.3% of balls in play.

That was strong enough to convince the Cubs to pick up their $16.5MM club option for the 2024 season, a move that looks regrettable in hindsight. Hendricks is slogging through the worst year of his career, which even got him moved to the bullpen for parts of May and June. He currently has a 6.25 ERA in 118 innings over 22 starts and five relief appearances.

The numbers under the hood perhaps provide some hope for a bounceback. His 16.1% strikeout rate is an exact match for last year. His 7.7% walk rate is up relative to 2023 but still right around league average. He is still elite at limiting damage, with Statcast putting him in the 98th percentile in terms of average exit velocity and 86th percentile in terms of hard hit rate. His 63.5% strand rate is the worst of his career and well below league average. Metrics like his 5.17 FIP and 4.74 SIERA suggest he hasn’t been as bad as his ERA would suggest.

His market will naturally be softened by his track record over the past few years, and since he’s turning 35 years old this winter, but teams always need innings and there should be some interest. Beyond his performance, Hendricks has a strong reputation as a clubhouse leader and thoughtful player, earning the nickname “The Professor”.

Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn, both in their mid-30s and coming off middling seasons, each secured eight-figure deals in the most recent offseason. Gibson got a $13MM guarantee and Lynn $11MM. Other vets like Martín Pérez, Wade Miley and James Paxton got guarantees a bit below that, each of them in the $7-9MM range.

What uniform Hendricks dons next year will be determined in the months to come, but it’s possible that he plays for a team other than the Cubs for the first time. Drafted by the Rangers, he was acquired as a prospect in the July 2012 trade that sent Ryan Dempster to Texas and has been with the Cubs since then.

Chicago’s 2025 rotation currently projects to include Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Javier Assad, Jameson Taillon and Jordan Wicks, with guys like Ben Brown, Hayden Wesneski and Caleb Kilian also in the mix. Prospect Cade Horton hasn’t pitched since late May due to a subscapularis strain but there’s nothing to suggest he won’t be healthy by next year.

It might be difficult to find a spot for Hendricks in there, despite his strong reputation in the organization. Perhaps that will lead him away from Wrigley, which would be a symbolic end of an era for the Cubs. Hendricks is the last player from the 2016 champions still with the club.

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Chicago Cubs Kyle Hendricks

Previewing The 2024-25 Free Agent Class: First Base
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View Comments (37)
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37 Comments

  1. DoodooBean Redux

    10 months ago

    Why couldnt he have planned to pitch this season?

    7
    Reply
    • Captainmike1

      10 months ago

      Hey
      He won a whole 4 games !

      Reply
      • User 3222006999

        10 months ago

        4 Million a win. Veritable bargain.

        Reply
        • hiflew

          10 months ago

          It’s not that bad. That’s about what the White Sox paid per win for the entire team this year.

          4
          Reply
    • Dumpster Divin Theo

      10 months ago

      See what you did there

      Reply
  2. CCooper8920

    10 months ago

    I wonder if he’ll sign with SF; the Giants have had a lot of success sign free agent pitchers who aren’t at the top of the market

    Reply
    • Datashark

      10 months ago

      If Farhan remains that could a FACT.

      Reply
    • Bauer? But I Hardly Know Her!

      10 months ago

      If they can’t fix him, off to the Angels.

      Reply
  3. MLB Top 100 Commenter

    10 months ago

    The Professor is one of my favorite players, but I don’t see any team offering him a guaranteed major league contract.

    4
    Reply
    • Captainmike1

      10 months ago

      Maybe a Mexican team ?

      1
      Reply
    • hiflew

      10 months ago

      I think he is accomplished enough that he will get a make good deal by a team in rebuild mode. The White Sox make a lot of sense, but I could also see the Marlins or the Rays involved in a cheap one year deal.

      2
      Reply
    • Bucket Number Six

      10 months ago

      Should call yourself Very Jerry.

      4
      Reply
  4. citizen

    10 months ago

    cubs going to let hendricks walk. Since hendricks himself walked too many.
    Last player left on the cubs roster from the world series team.

    Reply
  5. User 3222006999

    10 months ago

    As long as it isn’t with the Cubs be my guest.

    1
    Reply
    • mike127

      10 months ago

      Yes—only if it’s with a team that visits Wrigley next season so he gets his video tribute, his standing ovations and the respect he deserves.

      Kyle, do not sign with an American League team that came here this season.

      Reply
      • User 3222006999

        10 months ago

        I swear if Counsell brings Smyly into another game the Cubs aren’t leading by ten runs I’m gonna need a new TV.

        1
        Reply
        • LetTheGoodTimesROFL

          10 months ago

          Dude keep in mind you’re just a fan. I’m just as disappointed as the next person but if you’re destroying your TV over this you need counseling

          Reply
        • Fred K. Burke

          10 months ago

          How dare you UncleMike second guess the highest paid manager in MLB. Just don’t hurt yourself or anyone else when you destroy that TV.

          Reply
  6. Captainmike1

    10 months ago

    I think he should give 2025 to the cubs as a free year to make up for this season

    2
    Reply
  7. thickiedon

    10 months ago

    That 4 yr $55MM deal in 2019 would be an $80MM deal currently

    Reply
  8. rememberthecoop

    10 months ago

    Not a bad career for an 8th round draft pick…

    4
    Reply
  9. WhiteSx2024

    10 months ago

    I hear Japan is looking for guys who are done in they’re careers. Nope maybe las vagas Colorado, Miami, Washington, Independent Mexican league

    Reply
    • User 3240017344

      10 months ago

      Any guys that are done careers can go to Japan this guy hears

      Reply
  10. alstott40

    10 months ago

    perfect rays reclamation project

    1
    Reply
  11. seth3120

    10 months ago

    Obviously I’m in the minority but I think he’s a rebound candidate. Not to his heyday but 4-5 starter. He’s not a guy who was throwing upper 90s and lost his fastball. He needs to find his command and that’s a possibility. I think it’ll need to be for a non contender or he’d have to be humble and work his way up from the minors if he can get his consistency back.

    1
    Reply
  12. holecamels35

    10 months ago

    Why do I see him going somewhere like the Rockies or White Sox? Seems right up their alley.

    1
    Reply
    • Acoss1331

      10 months ago

      I can see the White Sox signing Kyle, give him an opportunity to bounce back with a team going nowhere next year, and then flip him at the deadline.

      Reply
  13. User 2277014154

    10 months ago

    The Mets should get him next season.

    Reply
  14. 0523me

    10 months ago

    Yo también.
    – Bartolo Colon

    1
    Reply
  15. msqboxer

    10 months ago

    He’ll sign with a contender as a 4th/5th starter on a 1 year with option $25M deal.

    Reply
  16. Thomar

    10 months ago

    Perfect signing for Red Sox..cheap and ineffective

    Reply
  17. Slibb

    10 months ago

    Already dreading seeing him in a Pirates uniform next year. Someone kill me now (in game).

    Reply
  18. User 624265706

    10 months ago

    I love Hendricks, and he’s meant a lot to the Cubbies during his time there. But there comes a time when the cord needs to be cut. The Cubs need good relief pitching, which is the biggest failure the club experienced this year. They had over 25 blow saves which, if that number was half that, would mean the Cubs would be in playoff contention right now. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

    Reply
    • Eatdust666

      10 months ago

      Yes, they would in fact be in playoff contention right now if it was half that number.

      1
      Reply
      • Phree4u

        10 months ago

        Not necessarily, you can blow a save multiple times a game, and you can also win a game in which you blew the save opportunity.

        Would be interesting if someone had time to go through all those statistics and see what the actual number would be.

        Reply
        • Citizen1

          10 months ago

          There was a site called hosted stats which had all the ap box scores and put in 1 run , night, grass, mlb rank in hits, etc. Gone now

          Reply
  19. Ray Epps

    10 months ago

    I would of loved to see him get 100 wins as a Cub he is at 97.

    Reply

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