Right-handed pitcher Kyle Hendricks and the Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a one-year contract worth $2.5 million, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The source requested anonymity because the deal is still dependent on a successful physical examination.
Hendricks has spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the Chicago Cubs. Over 11 seasons, he has made 270 starts and six relief appearances, compiling a record of 97 wins and 81 losses, with a 3.68 ERA.
He was the last remaining player from the Cubs’ 2016 World Series-winning team, which claimed the franchise’s first title since 1908.
In 2016, Hendricks was selected as an All-Star after posting a 16-8 record with a league-best 2.13 ERA. During the World Series, he pitched 4 1/3 shutout innings in a 1-0 loss to Cleveland in Game 3, and 4 2/3 innings in Chicago’s 8-7, 10-inning victory in Game 7.
Hendricks, who will turn 35 on December 7, struggled this past season, finishing with a 4-12 record and a 6.27 ERA in 24 starts. However, he posted a 3.14 ERA in five relief appearances from May 23 to June 14. The 2023 season marked the final year of his $70 million, five-year contract with the Cubs.
In his last game with Chicago on September 28 against Cincinnati at Wrigley Field, Hendricks pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits, and received a standing ovation from the fans. He walked out of the dugout to wave at the crowd after the game.
“Just for the fans to give me that, from the moment I showed up at the ballpark today kind of celebrating me,” Hendricks said after the game. “Part of me hates it. I hate all the attention. But at the end I have to soak in all these moments.”
Hendricks attended Dartmouth College and graduated from Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, California, located about 25 miles from Angel Stadium.
