Ex-White Sox Closer in Talks with Cubs

Ex-White Sox closer Liam Hendriks has told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he's had talks with several teams this offseason, including the Cubs. Hendriks, who had Tommy John surgery this past summer, hopes to return in the second half of the 2024 season.

Hendriks, 34, has a solid track record since taking over as a closer in 2019 for the Oakland A's. From 2019-22, the right-hander earned three All-Star Game nominations, was on two All-MLB teams and won American League Reliever of the Year in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

However, it sounds like Hendriks is still early in his process of exploring his options this offseason, saying that no talks with any team have been all too deep as of yet.

Via MLB.com.

Other teams have had conversations with Hendriks after general manager Chris Getz delivered the news prior to the White Sox organizational meetings at Camelback Ranch in late October. One of those teams was the Cubs, according to Hendriks.

“So, there’s always that,” Hendriks said. “There’s been nothing substantial about any of the conversations we’ve had, but they were one of the teams that reached out pretty early on.

The right-handed closer is eyeing a return to the mound by the 2024 trade deadline. He had the season-ending elbow surgery on Aug. 2, 2023.

Via MLB.com.

That decision was based primarily on Hendriks’ ongoing recovery from Tommy John surgery, which took place on Aug. 2 and could keep the right-hander sidelined for much of the upcoming season. But Hendriks is a man with a mound plan for the present and future, and at this point he’s looking at right around the ’24 Trade Deadline, which represents a quicker return than the projected 12 to 14 months.

Before his Tommy John surgery in 2023, Hendriks had already missed the majority of the season after winning his battle against Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He made his season debut on May 29, against the Los Angeles Angels, but was only able to make five appearances after experiencing arm issues that eventually led to Tommy John surgery in early August.

In the previous four seasons, Hendriks was an elite reliever, posting a 2.26 ERA, while averaging 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings, saving 114 games between his time with the A's and White Sox.

My guess is that interested teams, including the Cubs, would be looking for a two-year deal with Hendriks, getting him in their system for 2024 and hopefully he has a clean recovery which has him ready to go for the start of the 2025 season. Anything a team gets from Hendriks in 2024 is just a bonus.