The Angels’ 4-3 win over the Astros yesterday marked Kyle Hendricks’ final start of the 2025 season, and it might also be the last outing of the right-hander’s big league career. Hendricks told MLB.com’s Andres Soto and other reporters that he will take some time after the season to decide whether to hang up the cleats or to explore returning for a 13th season in the Show.
Beyond just his own feelings, Hendricks cited the need to consult with his family and the “lot of people involved” in his career. “I’ve been so lucky with the support group I’ve had behind me,” Hendricks said. “It takes an army. You can’t do this by yourself, so it comes down to all their opinions and just taking some time away and seeing how you feel.”
Hendricks made similar statements earlier this week, seemingly pushing back against a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, who last weekend wrote that Hendricks “has informed friends that he expects to retire after the season.” In a statement to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times last Wednesday, Hendricks implied that Nightengale hadn’t spoken to him before publishing the item.
Hendricks turns 36 in December, and he is re-entering free agency after signing a one-year, $2.5MM deal with the Angels last winter. For that modest sum, he posted a 4.76 ERA over 164 2/3 innings, and in some ways delivered what has become his prototypical set of numbers over his lengthy career. Hendricks displayed strong control (6.2% walk rate), an excellent 34.3% hard-hit ball rate, and his typically strong curveball spin rate and chase rate.
Despite the 31.7% chase rate, however, the right-hander’s 16.4% strikeout rate and 18.3% whiff rate both ranked near the bottom of the league. Never a hard thrower, Hendricks has ranked within the second percentile of all pitchers in terms of velocity in each of the last nine seasons, and his fastball sat at only 86.5mph this year. While batters had trouble squaring up against Hendricks in general, they made it count when they did make hard contact, as Hendricks allowed 25 homers and had only a middling barrel rate.
This is more or less the same level of production Hendricks has kept up since the start of the 2021 season, and he has a 4.79 ERA over 697 2/3 frames during the last five seasons. Before this downturn, Hendricks had a 3.12 ERA over 1047 1/3 innings with the Cubs from 2014-20, becoming a staple in the rotation and a major part of the team’s 2016 World Series championship team. Hendricks posted a league-best 2.13 ERA in 2016, finishing third in NL Cy Young Award voting.
Hendricks had spent his entire big league career in Chicago up until last offseason, when the Mission Viejo native signed with the Angels. Ending his career with his hometown team is perhaps fitting from a narrative standpoint, though the righty hasn’t yet closed the door on pitching in 2026. One would imagine that the Angels would have interest in a reunion on another low-cost contract, as the Halos have holes to fill in the rotation and Hendricks can both eat innings and continue his off-the-field role as a clubhouse mentor.
Nightengale! What a reporter!
“Oops. Correction: I meant to say Hendricks seeking 10-year deal.” – Bob
Last night sure looked and felt like a final outing.
If so, glad to see him go out at home with a big smile on his face.
You never really know.
As an Innings eater and 5th starter that’s fine. It’s not like we have a bunch of young talent being blocked.
It’s hard to walk away. Until he announces his retirement, he’s not retired.
It’s not like this team is going to compete next year. An innings eater is not a bad thing.
Cubs should immediately hire him as a Minor League pitching instructor to teach the Cubs young arms how to pitch. It’s a no brainer.
@Unclemike1526
I’m sorry to say but it’s cheaper to just burn through pitchers and get max velocity out of them. If the guy gives you 2 decent seasons and blows the arm out, not big investment lost. MLB is about max effort and high velocity. Teaching pitchers to pitch more like Maddux isn’t going to work with the ABS system.
ROFL
Maddux could pitch in ANY era! Greg would own ABS, too!!!
@kodion
Only if the ABS was set to call strikes 24 inches off the plate.
Not gonna lie, I never got the comparrison to Maddux, other than elite command. Maddux sat 89-93 MPH in his prime, which at the time, was like average to above-average velocity. He sat upper-80s in high school, and even said himself he was coming in around 93-94 MPH when he was a rookie. Hendricks averaged 88-90 MPH in his prime, which was the mid-late-2010s.
I’ll have to disagree here. I think an ABS system will benefit pitchers who can paint more.
Once we get to a fully automated ABS, pitchers who can work inside/out, up and down, change speeds and hit their spots, will be rewarded instead of umps missing these calls in crucial situations.
I was actually thinking more along the lines if he could teach his change up to Brown, Steele, Assad and Wiggins would make those guys even more formidable. Might add 5 wins to each of them. And help their mind set at the same time. Nobody really knows what ABS will do yet as you only get 2 a game and if you’re wrong then the Umps go back to being what they are Bad at it.
It’s sad you think that way. That’s why the ML product isn’t very good these days.
Maddux was an artist on the mound. In today’s three true outcome game he might be unhittable
Taking a look around MLB these days and either they are not teaching them how to pitch or they aren’t listening.
Seeing how few there are willing to either try or learn another pitch you gotta think they aren’t listening. Plus most of them just try to throw it as hard as they can and make it move the most they can which really shouldn’t be the plan. Making it move a little late is better than a 5 foot breaking slider that everybody takes anyway. Missing the barrel should be the idea.
I was thinking of this with the Red Sox recently. They have some thing where they give pitchers who throw over 100 in a game a special T-shirt.
That’s cool and all, but I feel like it’s more important to go out there and do your job instead of teaching these kids to hunt velocity. I was thinking of something like helmet stickers in college football. A little harder to do with baseball, but maybe have something in their lockers at their home park and they get a sticker every time they do their job. So relieved comes in and throws a scoreless inning, gets out of a jam, etc. starters to deep into games, limit runs, high leverage strike outs etc.
This way they are chasing those good outcomes instead of just throwing hard.
I feel he will either resign with the Angels or Cubs and if neither one of them then he retires.
Cubs don’t win it all in 2016 without him. Really cheering for him to wrap up his career in a way that sits right with him for the rest of his life.
Mediocre pitcher considering retirement….Scott Harris and the Tigers pay $15 mil for that sort of action you know.
Decent career, helped do the impossible and won a ring on the North Side. If he chooses to retire now rather than grind through another season good for him
Come back to Cubs and replace Boog Sciambi please
Realistically, he could probably find another contract somewhere. A 90 ERA+ while making 31 starts and averaging about 5.1 innings each start will definitley play on a rebuilding team that just needs someone they know they can put out there every 4-5 days.
ya, the Cards so he can tell Contras that he sucked at catching. then quit that dirt bag team.
I’m an old softy, sentimental to a fault, but somehow I can’t get too worked up about Hendricks, much less compare him in any way to Maddux. He stayed on too long. When the Cubs brought him back in 2024, it was an egregious and costly mistake.