Cubs $55 million veteran left ‘fighting for his job’ after disappointing season

The Chicago Cubs are sitting five games out of a National League Wild Card spot and seem likely to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

That streak shows just how far the team has fallen from its 2016 World Series heights. And now, the final remaining player from that team is one of the Cubs players “fighting for their jobs” in the final month of the season, according to Zachary Rotman of FanSided.

“If this is it for Kyle Hendricks in Chicago, boy, did he go out on a sour note,” per Rotman. “His fate should already be sealed with the 34-year-old headed to free agency at the end of the year, but could a strong finish help him land a deal somewhere?”

Hendricks has pitched for the Cubs for his entire big-league career, which began in 2014. He signed a four-year, $55.5 million deal to return to the team in 2020 and the final year of that contract has been the worst of his career by many measures.

The 34-year-old has been shelled for a 6.51 ERA across 21 starts this season. And, assuming he wants to take the mound again next year, fighting through some better starts in this final month could go a long way toward earning himself a new deal.

“If he continues to pitch well in his final couple of starts to wrap up the season, there might be a rotation spot available for him somewhere, even if it isn’t with the only MLB team he has ever known,” Rotman added.

Any number of teams might be willing to bet on the veteran to bounce back or provide some quality innings in a different role next season. Hendricks maintained a 3.74 ERA in 24 starts last year — a solid figure from a clubhouse leader with championship experience.

In some quality starts this season, he has shown that he can still do the things that had made him so successful in his career: limiting hard contact and putting the ball on the ground.

“Even with all his struggles, Hendricks is still doing what he’s done well when he’s at his best,” Sahadev Sharma noted for The Athletic.

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