Three-time All-Star relief pitcher Liam Hendriks is considering multiple offers from interested teams, according to a report by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Hendriks, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery and hopes to return to action around the trade deadline this season, has set a deadline of tomorrow to sign with a team. If he doesn’t sign by tomorrow, he will continue his rehabilitation on his own for the next few months and look to sign with a team closer to his return date.
Hendriks celebrated his 35th birthday last week. His journey from being a marginal pitcher who was frequently designated for assignment and placed on waivers to becoming one of the top relievers in the sport is a remarkable turnaround. In 2018, the Oakland Athletics designated him for assignment for the fourth and final time in his career, and he cleared waivers without being claimed.
From 2016 to 2018, Hendriks posted decent but unremarkable numbers as a low-pressure reliever for the A’s. However, in 2019, he reinvented himself as a dominant pitcher by relying heavily on his four-seam fastball and slider. This transformation quickly elevated him to the status of one of the best bullpen arms in baseball. From 2019 to 2022, he pitched 239 innings, recorded 114 saves, and had an impressive 38.8% strikeout rate and a pristine 5.1% walk rate. He also won the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award twice and signed a lucrative three-year, $54 million contract with the Chicago White Sox.
In the 2023 season, Hendriks faced a challenging battle off the field when he announced that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and would undergo chemotherapy treatment. However, just a few months later, he announced that he was cancer-free and began his rehabilitation assignment. He made a remarkable return to the Majors less than four months after his initial announcement. Unfortunately, his comeback was short-lived as he was placed back on the injured list due to inflammation in his right elbow. It was later revealed that he would require Tommy John surgery.
Given Hendriks’ impressive track record, he should be a strong candidate for a major league contract, most likely a two-year deal that would allow him to rehab with a team’s medical staff for the majority of this season. This type of contract is common, although his age of 35 may complicate the negotiations to some extent.
Every team in baseball would benefit from having a healthy Hendriks in their bullpen. However, his availability will be limited until at least late August and possibly not until the start of the 2025 season, depending on the progress of his rehabilitation. Nevertheless, his past performance alone should generate significant interest from teams.
According to the Source mlbtraderumors.com