Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks finalizes one-year $2.5-million deal with Angels
The Angels and right-handed starter Kyle Hendricks finalized a $2.5-million, one-year contract Thursday.
Hendricks had spent his entire big league career with the Chicago Cubs. He is 97-81 with a 3.68 ERA in 270 starts and six relief appearances over 11 seasons.
He was the last Cubs player remaining from their 2016 World Series champions, who won the team’s first title since 1908.
To make room for Hendricks on the 40-man roster, right-hander Ryan Miller was designated for assignment by the Angels.
Hendricks was an All-Star in 2016, going 16-8 with a major league-best 2.13 ERA. He pitched 4⅓ shutout innings as the Cubs lost Game 3 to Cleveland 1-0 and 4 2/3 innings in Chicago’s 8-7, 10-inning win in Game 7.
Hendricks, who turns 35 on Dec. 7, was 4-12 with a 6.27 ERA in 24 starts this season and had a 3.14 ERA in five relief appearances from May 23 to June 14. He completed a $70-million, five-year contract.
He allowed two hits over 7⅓ innings in his final game with the Cubs, on Sept. 28 against Cincinnati at Wrigley Field, and was given an ovation. Hendricks came out of the dugout to wave to the crowd.
Hendricks went to college at Dartmouth. He attended Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, about 25 miles from Angel Stadium
SAN ANTONIO – In the immediate aftermath of the 2024 season, Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner added nuance of his to the discussion about building 90-win teams.
“I also don’t think 90 wins should necessarily be the goal,” he told the Sun-Times, standing in front of his locker after the last game of the season. “I mean, it gets you to the playoffs – obviously, first thing’s first. But you want to dominate. That’s what the Cubs should do; that’s what the standard should be.”
Manager Craig Counsell’s comments after the Cubs mathematically fell out of the NL Central race made building “90-win teams” a common topic in the last week and a half of the season. He called it the “playoff standard.” And, indeed, every NL playoff team won at least 89 games in the regular season, and tiebreakers pushed the Diamondbacks under the threshold with that very win total.
The Cubs won 83 games, performing to projections. That put them 10 games back of the division-champion Brewers and tied with the Cardinals.
“I don’t see any reason this team couldn’t have won 90-plus games,” Hoerner said. “We didn’t win a lot of big moments in close games, and I don’t think that’s a lack of preparation, but definitely things that we’ll build on and learn from and be better equipped for in the future.”
As much as the players believed in their ability as a collective, it’s the front office’s job to keep strengthening the team’s odds to make the postseason. And even if president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and his team are going to count on some players outperforming projections, the higher they aim, the safer that bet.
Hoerner is one of those hitters who the Cubs thought had untapped potential even going into this past season, especially when it came to his power numbers. They weren’t looking for him to morph into a 20-homer hitter, but supplementing his contact ability with improved slug could help the team optimize its lineup.
Even battling through a fractured right hand and hamstring issue this season – he avoided IL stints for both – Hoerner hit a career-high 35 doubles this past season.
His flexor tendon surgery last month, however, will shape his offseason. Hoerner had been dealing with the injury for at least half the season, Hoyer said.
“If you go back now and watch – we knew about it – you can see some double play turns where he probably didn’t have as much on the throw as he wanted,” Hoyer said.” You can see him running balls over and kind of short-arming some balls. So, it’s a credit to his toughness that he was able just to play through and play really well.”
