WASHINGTON — Right-hander Kyle Hendricks remembers sitting in the room to the right of the visitor’s clubhouse at Nationals Park with his iPad, watching video and reviewing hitter reports at the 2021 trade deadline.
The trade deadline was on July 30, a Friday, so Hendricks was preparing for his start on Saturday.
As he prepped, he noticed director of team travel and clubhouse operations Vijay Tekchandani bringing bags to the clubhouse entrance. He glanced over to see who the numbers on the bag were. First, it was No. 9 for Javier Baez; then it was No. 17 for Kris Bryant. Baez was traded to the New York Mets and Bryant was traded to the San Francisco Giants.
Three years later and Hendricks’ four-year, $55 million contract is up after the season. Because he experienced the trade deadline sell-off of 2021, he understands the realities of the business.
“You want to stay here,” Hendricks said in a conversation with the Sun-Times. “You want to be at Wrigley Field every day, be in front of the best fans in the world. But at the end of the day, you control what you can control.”
Hendricks can be designated for assignment between now and the end of the month. Heck, there were points earlier this season where it didn’t look like he would make it to September with the club. Before Hendricks was demoted to the bullpen on May 22, Hendricks sported a 10.57 ERA and opponents were slashing .362/.411/.638 against him over seven starts.
“It’s unexpected 100% with how I’ve been throwing this year,” Hendricks said of remaining on the major-league roster. “I’ve been throwing a lot better the last three months or so, ever since I made that move to the bullpen. But still, it’s about the numbers you put up, and I’ve lost a lot of ball games.
“I’m just more focused on putting in my work, doing what I got to do and trying to be here for my teammates. I’m just grateful that I still have a job here, to be honest.”
After six solid innings outings out of the bullpen, Hendricks returned to the starting rotation on June 19 against the Giants. Since June 19, Hendricks has a 5.62 ERA, and opposing hitters have been slashing .280/.333/.440. Improvements, but still not good enough, especially after Wednesday’s start, when he allowed six runs in 1 ⅔ innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Hendricks said he’s continued to focus on his routine and the work he puts in daily. The stint in the bullpen, plus his continuous work with pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, helped Hendricks rediscover that confidence in his game, but he said, “there’s still a long way to go. There’s still a lot more I need to do.”
Because of his performance combined with the reality of aging as an athlete, he knows there isn’t much time left for him in a Cubs uniform, whenever that is. In the meantime, he’s trying to be the best teammate he can as the Cubs (71-66) are on their best run of the season.
“You want to seize every opportunity, every moment, so you’re just putting everything, every ounce of energy you have into it,” Hendricks said.
That energy also goes into being a good teammate. Left-hander Justin Steele said Hendricks is one of his best teammates.
“[Hendricks’ ust being there to talk with other pitchers, giving good intel and being able to pick his brain, that makes him a leader, just because of how well he knows the game,” Steele said.
Manager Craig Counsell said Friday “we have a little uncertainty with who’s going to pitch exactly which day” — which puts Hendricks’ spot in the rotation in flux, especially after left-hander Jordan Wicks returned from the 60-day injured list and started Sunday’s 14-1 win against the Nationals.
Hendricks’ self-awareness is one of his greatest traits. Knowing his limitations and maximizing his strengths allowed a soft-throwing, Dartmouth graduate to succeed in the majors and start Game 7 of the World Series.
Aging in sports often isn’t grateful. A player’s physical aptitude deteriorates as the games improves around them. Hendricks saw first-hand how quickly franchise icons could be dealt to other teams.
“When I drive into the ballpark, I don’t take any of that for granted,” Hendricks said. “Just looking at the fans while walking out for a game, feeling that energy, those are things you put a little extra stock into.
“Then you move on and worry about your job, of course. But I’m lucky to have this perspective to sit back and take a little bit of it in and just really soak it in.”