Amid an uncertain offseason with the Cubs, longtime veteran Kyle Hendricks isn't ready to leave Chicago, yet.
"I’m not ready to say goodbye to Chicago, for sure," Hendricks told Marquee Sports Network. "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 will enter free agency for the first time in his career this offseason. It's uncertain whether or not the North Side will attempt to bring back the longtime starter. But the way this season has gone for the 34-year-old, it's nebulous, at best.
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Hendricks quickly hit the injured list in April with a lower back strain to start the season. He worked out of the bullpen subsequently for about a month. He finished the month of May holding an abysmal 10.16 ERA.
With potentially one more start left in his arsenal this season, Hendricks holds a 4-11 pitching record from 27 appearances and 22 starts. From 118 innings of work, Hendricks maintains a 6.25 ERA and 1.492 WHIP. He's struck out 83 batters while walking 40 this season.
The Cubs will have Shota Imanga, Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon locked into their starting rotation next season. Javier Assad certainly appears likely to earn a spot, too. The Cubs also have a bevy of young arms who can fill the gaps, including Ben Brown, Cade Horton, Jordan Wicks and Hayden Wesneski.
Hendricks' departure from the Cubs isn't set in stone. There's a chance he and the Cubs find common ground on a new contract for next season. But the future certainly looks cloudy. However, he made clear to The Athletic that he plans to play in 2025.
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“It’s going to take me some time just to get back to focusing on myself," Hendricks said. "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."
Hendricks figures to make one more start this year to cap off the 2024 season. But the team has yet to announce its plans. So regardless of whether he's able to give it one more go at the Friendly Confines, he's remaining grateful.
“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.”