The Los Angeles Angels announced on Thursday that have agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal to sign right-handed starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks. The 11-year veteran has been a full-timer starter for the Chicago Cubs since his MLB debut in 2014.
Hendricks was originally drafted by the Angels out of Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo in the 39th round of the 2008 MLB Draft. But he opted to attend college at Dartmouth in New Hampshire and was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the eighth round of the 2011 MLB Draft.
He was traded to the Cubs in July of 2012 and has been with them ever since, making his big league debut on July 10, 2014. He became one of the better pitchers in baseball almost immediately, finishing seventh in rookie of the year voting that season and third in Cy Young voting just two years later in 2016.
Hendricks was an instrumental part of the Cubs World Series championship that same season. He started five postseason games, posting a 1.44 ERA and 1.040 WHIP in 25 innings.
He was one of baseball’s most consistent pitchers through his first seven seasons. From 2014-20, he averaged 149.2 innings pitched per campaign and posted an ERA of 3.12 and a WHIP of 1.105 with a 134 ERA+. Things have been down for Hendricks, though, since the shortened 2020 season.
He has a combined 4.80 ERA and 1.328 WHIP over his last four seasons, including a career-worst 5.92 ERA and 1.454 WHIP in 130.2 innings in 2024. The Angels, getting him for only $2.5 million, know that his odds of being an elite contributor are low.
However, Hendricks has proven himself to be available, even entering his age-35 campaign. And after the Angels traded Griffin Canning to the Atlanta Braves for Jorge Soler, they needed a reliable arm to eat up those innings.
This is a relatively low-risk move for the Angels, who either get a reliable full-time starter in their quest to compete, or they move towards youth and can deal Hendricks without eating too big a cost.
Angels’ projected rotation with Kyle Hendricks
The Angels are hoping to have a quality five-man rotation in 2025 that includes some players returning from injury, some veterans and maybe even young prospects. It’s hard to tell exactly who will win some Spring Training battles, but here is how things figure to stand with the Hendricks addition.
1. Tyler Anderson
2. Jose Soriano
3. Kyle Hendricks
4. Jack Kochanowicz
5. Reid Detmers
Injured List – Patrick Sandoval
Minor League Depth – Chase Silseth, Caden Dana, Samuel Aldegheri, George Klassen, Sam Bachman