One of the first major moves for the Chicago Cubs has officially come on Sunday.
After Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman both elected to hit free agency, the Cubs have picked up the club-option for their veteran starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks as reported by Jesse Rogers of ESPN.
This comes as no surprise.
There were conversations about Chicago giving him a possible extension prior to them picking up his contract for 2024. Hendricks will be paid $16.5 million for this upcoming season and is returning for his 11th season with the Cubs.
The veteran starter had been one of their best pitchers since making his debut in 2014. He had a sub-3.50 ERA in five straight years from 2016-2020 before he had a rough patch in 2021 and 2022.
Injuries hurt his production last season as a right shoulder strain held him to only 16 starts all year.
The 33-year-old performed much better in 2023, finishing with an ERA of 3.74 across 24 starts and 137 innings pitched.
Chicago was rumored to be in the market for a starting pitcher before Stroman opted-out of his player-option and hit free agency.
The Cubs have been reportedly looking for an ace despite Justin Steele likely finishing Top-5 in the NL Cy Young race.
Hendricks isn't that type of pitcher anymore, but he adds more depth to a rotation that would have been thin without the veteran in the mix.
It's possible that an extension is also agreed upon between Chicago and Hendricks this offseason, but they will officially have the right-hander back in 2024.
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