$16 million veteran ‘could be saying goodbye’ to Cubs after this season

Currently sitting on the outside of the National League Wild Card hunt looking in, this season’s Chicago Cubs seem to be a far cry from the team that won it all in 2016.

And that championship history could become all the more distant as the final remaining player from that team, veteran pitcher Kyle Hendricks, has been listed among the players “who could be saying goodbye” after the season, per MLB.com .

“The only remaining Cub from that 2016 World Series team, Hendricks has always felt like a throwback: a guy who didn’t throw very hard and didn’t strike out very many people but still found a way to get outs,” MLB.com’s Will Leitch noted. “His special magic seems to have faded this season, but he’ll be beloved around Wrigley Field for the next 100 years, and for very good reason.”

Hendricks signed a four-year, $55.5 million contract in 2019 and the Cubs exercised a $16.5 million club option for this season. In an 11-year career, the righty has maintained a 3.70 ERA across more than 1,500 innings, racking up 1,246 strikeouts and 96 wins in the process. But he has struggled this season, as have the Cubs, with a 6.60 ERA in 20 starts so far.

Though it seems as if he’s poised to hang up his cleats after a disappointing final year, Hendricks brought a championship pedigree and veteran experience to the team, and losing him will likely impact the clubhouse more than the wins and losses might suggest.

“Hendricks … brings value with his knowledge, composure and experience,” Patrick Mooney wrote for The Athletic. “Hendricks will forever be remembered as an enormously important figure in franchise history.”

But as Hendricks enters free agency, it seems unlikely that the Cubs or many other teams would want to bet on a bounceback in what will be his age-35 season in 2025. Instead, the Cubs’ last remaining champion appears set for retirement as the team looks to retool for next season and beyond.

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