When Cubs stalwart Kyle Hendricks signed with the Angels this week, the message from his former team was clear:
“With a guy like him, it’s not goodbye,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “I would be quite shocked at some point when he’s done pitching if he’s not working for the Cubs in some capacity or around the ballpark a lot.”
Hendricks said he was thankful for all the Cubs personnel who reached out to him with a similar sentiment.
“Pretty much made an open door policy: you’re family, you’re always welcome back, whatever you want to be involved in and want to be a part of,” Hendricks said in a video press conference Friday. “So it’s just so nice and relieving to know I have that waiting in the future, if it is a possibility. Chicago will always be so special in my heart. It’s family.”
As much as he loves Chicago, Hendricks is also a skilled self-evaluator. And he knew how his struggles in recent years, and especially an abysmal beginning to the 2024 season, would affect his options as he hit free agency for the first time in his career at 34 years old.
“Of course, I would have loved to be a Cub my whole life, if it could have happened,” Hendricks said. “But you have to produce, and it just didn’t happen for me. They’re in the window right now where they’re really looking to go win, with what they have set up. And I’m happy for that.
“For myself, I’m just happy I have another opportunity to play baseball. I just love pitching and playing so much, and I’m so excited to be joining this organization, the Angels. They have so many good, young players. I’m so excited to meet these young pitchers. And I just love talking baseball, talking pitching, especially with the young guys.”
Hendricks was prepared to have to wait most of the offseason before signing a contract. Instead, the Angels came in with an early offer. And that officially closed Hendricks’ first Cubs chapter after 11 major-league seasons, an ERA title, a World Series championship, and countless other fond memories.
“Probably not many, if any, players I’ve been around that I think more highly of,” Hoyer said. “Awesome teammate, awesome pitcher. And forever will be a Cubs legend – not only for what he did in ‘16, but what he did, really, for 10-plus years. So I’m really happy for him.”
This past season, Hendricks was infamously the last remaining member of the Cubs’ 2016 championship squad on the roster.
“I’m glad, of that group, he was last,” Hoyer said. “He represented all the things that are good about being a big-league player. Certainly, he pitched in some of the biggest games of club history really well.”
Those attributes, plus the clarity Hendricks has on his mechanics after righting his 2024 season late in the year, make him a natural fit for the Angels.
The team is still finding its way after the departure of Shohei Ohtani in free agency almost a year ago. And while Hendricks can help the Angels from the mound through a one-year deal, the club’s long-term plan will have to include developing young pitching at the major-league level. What better influence than Hendricks?
“It’s one of those things that just happened organically being with the Cubs, there for a long time,” Hendricks said. “I learned so much from the guys that came before me: Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jake Arrieta, I could go down the line. I had so many good teammates, so many influential veterans.
“It just would seem natural as I was there year after year. I just was family, and close with these young guys. We were friends, and we would just sit around talking baseball.”
For now, those days are over for Hendricks and the Cubs pitching staff. But not necessarily forever.