NEWSLETTER
Of all the Chicago Cubs’ starting pitchers in the modern era (1901-today), only 18 have thrown more innings for the team than Kyle Hendricks. Only 16 pitchers have won more games than Kyle Hendricks. And only 12 have delivered more fWAR than Kyle Hendricks.
And if regular season numbers aren’t enough for you, I think the 3.12 ERA over 12 postseason games, including extremely memorable performances in Game 6 of the 2016 NLCS and Game 7 of the 2016 World Series should drive the point home: Kyle Hendricks is one of the greatest pitchers in Chicago Cubs history. Period. Full stop.
And that’s part of what makes this current period so hard.
Counsell, Hoyer on Kyle Hendricks to the Bullpen
In case you missed the news yesterday, the Cubs pulled the last lever they had for a struggling Kyle Hendricks, shifting him out of the rotation and into the bullpen. And although the stated goal is to get him back into the rotation at some point, I remain skeptical. With Jordan Wicks heading out on a rehab assignment, and four other members of the rotation locked in (Steele, Imanaga, Taillon, Assad), there’s not an obvious place for Hendricks if everyone is healthy. Moreover, if spot starts are needed, Hayden Wesneski, Ben Brown, and eventually Cade Horton figure to be prioritized.
Jed Hoyer and Craig Counsell both addressed the move, with quotes coming via Cubs.com (Jordan Bastian) and The Athletic (Sahadev Sharma):
“From a team standpoint, we’re always trying to pinpoint what gives us the best chance to win short term and long term,” Cubs president Jed Hoyer said Tuesday. “With Kyle, I think he’s had some success first time through the order, and then after that, it’s gotten pretty dicey.”
“I think this gives him a chance to work through some stuff, and there’s a chance he continues that trend and has success there,” Hoyer said. “I think there’s some signs of success in there. There’s some good things we see, but obviously he hasn’t been able to put it together yet. And he knows that, and obviously, he’s the ultimate pro.
“He understands why we’re doing it.”
Hoyer went on to explain that they’re hoping for a bit of a mentality shift from Hendricks, who will learn to attack hitters more aggressively during his time in the ‘pen and bring that back into the rotation if/when he does return. And Counsell really does seem like he’d like that to happen:
“Our pitching is precarious enough right now that we can’t (assume he’ll never pitch out of the rotation again) — we are going day by day with a lot of this right now,” Counsell said. “And I think we should. The goal still is to get Kyle on track and get him back in the rotation. That’s absolutely what I’d like to do.”
And not that this should be a surprise to anyone who knows anything about Hendricks, but all accounts are that he’s absolutely willing to pitch out of the ‘pen or be used anyway the Cubs need: “He wants to do what he can to help the team,” Counsell said. “That never wavers for Kyle. He’s willing. He doesn’t have to be happy with it, but I think he still knows he’s going to do whatever he can to help the Cubs win games.”
Reaching Ten Years of Service
There’s also another factor here: Service time.
At ten years of service time in the big leagues, a few things happen for a player. For one, they become eligible for a full (very solid) pension. For others (if they’ve also spent at lest five years with the same team), they get 10-5 no trade rights.
Now, for a guy who’s made over $80M in career earnings and doesn’t seem like a likely trade candidate given his performance and the current trajectory of the Cubs, these aren’t huge deals. Factors, sure, but it’s more than that. For a lot of players, 10 years of service is one of the ultimate career goals – a true sign of one’s success and longevity. It simply means a whole lot to most players.
According to the MLB Players Union, fewer than 10% of all big leaguers reach the milestone. And many others have shared that sentiment before:
“The pension’s big, but I think it’s more of a respect thing,” said two-time All-Star Pat Neshek via USA Today. “It’s like, ‘Hey, I put the time in, I had a little bit of success, I was a good teammate.’ If you do any of those things wrong, you’re not going to stick around.”
“It’s a goal of everybody who comes into the game to get fully vested, get your 10 years in and ride off into your sunset,” added reliever Tommy Hunter.
As of today, Kyle Hendricks is just barely over five WEEKS away from reaching the ten-year milestone. The Cubs are going to do whatever they can to get him there, so long as it doesn’t completely derail this season. I’m pretty sure of that. And frankly, he deserves that much.
Respect Earned and Deserved
I know this is a business and a competitive industry, where nothing is guaranteed … certainly not a roster spot. And I also agree that winning *right now* is of the utmost importance. This is shaping up to be a pretty competitive and successful year for the Cubs, who can’t just carry someone on the roster for no reason. But let’s also not forget what makes sports so special in the first place. We actually care about these players. For at least some guys, this is all supposed to matter in a different way than “just business.”
If the Cubs can’t extend this sort of respect (and professional courtesy) to Kyle Hendricks, then there’s no one else who deserves it. And I don’t think I want to live in that sort of (baseball) world.
Remember, Kyle Hendricks has not only been one of the greatest pitchers in team history, he’s also been one of the hardest working, best teammates and leaders they’ve ever had. He’s never complained about ANYTHING, he’s never had a single controversy, he’s never popped his head up in any negative way whatsoever.
And, hey, it’s not like there’s no benefit to (or outs for) the Cubs.
As far as I’ve seen, Kyle Hendricks hasn’t actually addressed the media yet on his move to the pen, though I’m sure that’s coming eventually. But for now, I think it’s the right move for the team and the right move for the player. If, after another five weeks, things still aren’t working out, we can all have a tougher conversation. Hopefully, it never gets there. And who knows, with some luck, what if Kyle Hendricks winds up having a long, second baseball life as a solid Major League reliever? Or what if he does wind up stabilizing and transitioning back into the rotation? Neither is completely impossible. Don’t forget, Hendricks was actually pretty good as recently as last season.
