Kyle Hendricks will head into free agency for the first time in his career this offseason.
The veteran right-hander is wrapping up his 11th season with the Cubs and will be set to hit the open market.
Some have wondered if Hendricks – who will turn 35 in December – would consider retirement, but he has stated he wants to pitch again next season, even if it’s not for the Cubs.
Before Monday’s game in Philadelphia, Hendricks sat down with Marquee Sports Network’s Taylor McGregor and discussed how he will digest this season and his uncertain future.
“I think it’s going to take me some time,” Hendricks said. “Obviously when the season’s over, go home, spend some time with family, really digest this whole year. Clearly it’s been a rough year for myself personally. And just for the team, it’s been up-and-down. It’s been so fun to watch when we’re playing our good baseball, so fun to watch our young pitchers, doing what they do, taking advantage of their opportunities.
“But for sure it’s going to take me some time just to get back to focusing on myself. I love baseball. I just love playing. So I’m gonna put some time in the offseason. Just want to get back to being me and competing and doing what I need to do on the field.
“Outside of that, I’m not ready to say goodbye to Chicago, for sure. With everything up in the air, I’m just soaking in all these moments, as I normally would. But yeah, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, I guess.”
Hendricks has endured his worst statisti
The Cubs have Shota Imanga, Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon locked into the rotation for next year and Javier Assad will likely earn a spot as well. Interally, the Cubs also have a variety of young arms who could start (Jordan Wicks, Hayden Wesneski, Ben Brown, Cade Horton) and there are some notable free agents available this winter.
That’s not to say there won’t be a reunion between Hendricks and the Cubs in 2025, but it is a complicated path.
As for this year, Hendricks figures to make another start in the final series of the season this weekend at Wrigley Field.
But the team has not yet announced those plans definitively.
“Whatever they have in store, I’ll be ready,” Hendricks said. “But of course, it would be awesome to get 1 more start in front of the best fans in the world.”
Regardless of if he has another outing or not, Hendricks is trying to be mindful over the final week of the season.
“You just soak in every day and you don’t really want to think about the end, to be honest with you,” Hendricks said. “I’m still kinda at that point where I’m just enjoying this so much with my friends and my teammates.
“Enjoying going out and playing and trying to win ballgames and just soaking it in as much as I can.”
