After a bumpy first two months of the season, Kyle Hendricks has at times put things together during June. That might be coming at the perfect time for the Chicago Cubs.
With the Cubs well out of the postseason picture, another trade deadline of selling seems like it’s on deck for Chicago. Some players long have seemed certain to be moved, such as Willson Contreras. But Hendricks has been player who it feels like could go either way.
The starter, who is the Cubs’ longest-tenured player, is under contract through the 2023 campaign with a vesting option for 2024. However, starting pitching is at a premium this deadline season, with far more demand than supply. And unless the Cubs think they can flip the switch and contend in 2023, then it might be shrewd to just trade him.
Audacy MLB Insider Jon Heyman said Monday on 670 The Score’s “Mully and Haugh” that Hendricks should draw some interest.
“Even when it was going poorly for most of this year, I thought some teams would be interested in Kyle Hendricks," Heyman said (24:50 in player above). "He’s certainly reliable, he’s one of the few pitchers who never seems to be hurt, and he does have it in him, we’ve seen it, obviously, in the past. There’s a lot of need for starting pitching all around baseball, so I do expect there will be a market for Hendricks. I’d put him on that list with (David) Robertson, Contreras and the other Cubs players who will be out there in the market and being pursued by other teams."
What level of interest Hendricks would draw isn’t entirely clear. Going off just this season’s results would hurt his market. His walks are up and he’s gotten rocked for at least six earned runs four times this season to go with a 3-6 record, 4.90 ERA and 1.301 WHIP.
But if you broaden the view, he’s a veteran starter with control beyond this season who has 12 postseason appearances – including two solid starts in the 2016 World Series. If he's able to limit the outings where he really gets shelled, then he's a quality option for a contending team.
That might be enough to get a team to part with a decent asset for Hendricks. The Cubs don’t need to move the 32-year-old, but how things unfold over the next few weeks could make it tough to justify keeping him.
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