There were whispers near the end of the 2025 season that Chicago Cubs World Series champion Kyle Hendricks was going to retire and now Sun-Times reporter Maddie Lee has confirmed the news.
Hendricks, who pitched for the Los Angeles Angels in 2025, is calling it a career, and retiring after 12 seasons in MLB. The right-hander pitched 11 of those years with the Cubs, making his MLB debut on July 10, 2014. Hendricks recorded a 3.68 ERA in 1,580.1 innings with the Cubs. His best season came in 2016, when Hendricks was the ERA leader among all MLB starting pitchers and then helped the Cubs win the World Series.
Hendricks recorded a 1.42 ERA in five starts during the 2016 postseason, including a masterful performance in Game 6 of the NLCS that clinched the pennant for the Cubs. He also started Game 7 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians.
Hendricks, 35, was selected in the eighth round of 2011 MLB Draft out of Dartmouth by the Texas Rangers. The Cubs acquired Hendricks at the 2012 trade deadline in a deal that sent Ryan Dempster to the Rangers.
Kyle Hendricks Signs with Angels
Kyle Hendricks has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal for the 2025 season, officially moving on from the Chicago Cubs. 670 The Score's Bruce Levine first said Hendricks was close to signing a contract and ESPN's Jesse Rogers confirmed that the beloved Cubs starting pitcher will be with the Los Angeles Angels next season.
According to Rogers, Hendricks and the Angels have agreed to a $2.5 million deal for 2025. Hendricks, who spent 11 seasons with the Cubs, will now go back to the team that originally drafted him out of high school. The Angels selected Hendricks in the 39th round of the 2008 MLB Draft, but Hendricks ultimately turned them down to go to college.
Kyle Hendricks is in agreement with the Angels on a one year, $2.5 million deal, sources tell ESPN. With a young pitching staff, the Angels were very interested in Hendricks helping them along and are hopeful he can find consistency in his game. @MLBBruceLevine first said they…
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) November 6, 2024
This seems like an ideal spot for Hendricks. The soon-to-be 35-year-old was raised in Southern California, so now he'll be closer to home on a team with low expectations and the ability to mentor an inexperienced pitching staff.
While the overall numbers look ugly for Hendricks in 2024, much of the struggles came in the first couple months of the season before the right-hander went on the injured list with a lower back issue. From June through the end of the season, Hendricks posted a 4.29 ERA in 94.1 innings. His final five starts of the season might have been Hendricks' best stretch, finishing the year with a 2.89 ERA in 28 innings during September.
It was great to see Hendricks still have something left in the gas tank, but at the same time it's a good time for both sides to part ways. The Cubs are expected to add to their rotation in free agency, while the fifth spot will be up for grabs among several young pitchers already in the organization.
Hendricks ends his Cubs career with a 3.68 ERA in 1,580.1 innings. He made 11 postseason starts with the Cubs, recording a 3.12 ERA in 57.2 innings, which included an incredible 2016 playoff run when Hendricks had a 1.42 ERA in five starts.
While Hendricks was never an All-Star with the Cubs, he was one of the best starting pitchers in all of baseball during his prime. He made his debut on July 10, 2014, and from that date through the 2020 season, the crafty righty posted a 3.12 ERA, which ranked 7th best among all qualified pitchers.
In 2016, Hendricks made 31 starts and logged 190 innings and won the regular season ERA title at 2.13.
Forever a Cubs legend, a World Series hero and all-around good guy. Good luck to The Professor.
