There’s another spot to fill for the Los Angeles Angels.
Angels veteran right-handed starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks has retired from Major League Baseball, per the Chicago Sun-Times’ Maddie Lee.
The 35-year-old pitched for 12 seasons, 11 with the Chicago Cubs and his final with the Angels.
Hendricks signed a one-year deal to play with his hometown team surrounded by family and friends as many speculated retirement was near.
Hendricks reliably made 31 starts for Los Angeles and posted an 8-10 record with a 4.76 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, striking out 114 batters and walking 43.
The 2016 World Series champion made his debut with the Cubs in 2014, going 7-2 with a dazzling 2.46 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 13 starts. He made 32 starts in 2015 and helped lead Chicago to the National League Championship Series with a 3.95 ERA in 180 innings.
He was outstanding in 2016, going 16-8 with a 2.13 ERA en route to winning the ERA Title and finishing third in NL Cy Young voting. He anchored the Cubs rotation and had several huge playoff performances that culminated into a World Series victory.
“The Professor” continued to pitch well for Chicago, never posting an ERA over 3.46 until 2021 when his stuff began to fall off.
He pitched to 4.77 and 4.80 ERAs in 2021 and 2022 respectfully before he regained form and pitched to a 3.74 ERA over 24 starts in 2023.
The wheels began to fall off for Hendricks in 2024. He was 4-12 with a 5.92 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 29 appearances (five in relief) and allowed 86 earned runs in just 130.2 innings.
Hendricks was a bit more effective this past season with the Angels, but he wasn’t the dominant pitcher we once saw with the game moving in the direction it is.
Velocity was never Hendricks’ thing. He dominated hitters with precision, not heat. When the accuracy starts to diminish, it becomes increasingly easier to hit his best pitch, any one of his three changeups.
Regardless of his late-career struggles, Hendricks was one of the best pitchers in MLB for half a decade and his impact runs deep in the city of Chicago. He helped end a 108-year curse for the Cubs and always prepared well to perform his best any given outing.
Even if the stats weren’t amazing, the Angels have large shoes to fill in their starting rotation for 2026 and beyond.