MESA, Ariz. — As the names and faces in the clubhouse change, Kyle Hendricks has tethered the ups and downs of Chicago Cubs baseball over the last 10 years.
From his trade to the rebuilding Cubs in 2012 to his career-best season culminating in the 2016 World Series title to being the longest-tenured player on the 2022 squad, Hendricks has been a constant amid the changes. As president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer attempts to build the “next great Cubs team,” Hendricks is one part of the equation of what comes next for a franchise in transition.
In the immediate future, Hendricks will make his third consecutive opening-day start when he takes the mound Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.
Hendricks, 32, has two years left on his contract plus a $16 million club option for 2024. By then, the Cubs roster will potentially look very different. Only three players are under contract for 2024: Seiya Suzuki, David Bote and Marcus Stroman, though Stroman can opt out after 2023.
So how does Hendricks fit into this next era of Cubs baseball? While he agrees it’s a great question, he hasn’t dwelled on it.
“I‘m pretty measured and calculated, so I really try and stay in the present day,” Hendricks told the Tribune. “It’s always done me well. You look too far ahead or you look too far behind, I tend to get in trouble.
“Obviously I absolutely love Chicago, I love this organization, everything they’ve given me, they’ve done for me, the opportunity. I mean, this is my home, I would love to be here. I’d love to be a part of anything. And I see what we have coming. I see these young guys, I see the process and what’s happening.”
Hendricks was once the up-and-comer, the rookie who debuted in 2014 with a 2.46 ERA in 13 starts. Looking back, he saw then what he sees now: the groundwork laid to set up future success.
It was harder to recognize in the moment in 2014 and into 2015 and the run to the National League Championship Series, but Hendricks believes the Cubs system has young talent that is poised to make an impact.
“I just want to be a part of that, so I’m just trying to be a part of this group and this team and just win,” Hendricks said. “That’s always my focus is to win, go out there and compete. I have next year and then my option, so I’ll be here through that. And after that we’ll have to see what happens again, but I’m such a present-focused guy.”
Staying in the moment is a great approach, but that philosophy can be challenged at times. While external trade rumors are easier to dismiss or block out, last year’s departures at the trade deadline affected Hendricks’ focus.
It took a couple of weeks for Hendricks to move past it, and after everything he experienced last year, he has a lot he wants to prove to himself this season.
“The clarity I’ve gained by having the comfortability in the contract and being in Chicago my whole career, it’s just amazing,” Hendricks said. “It’s amazing luck any way you look at it. ... I am pretty much ready for wherever the game takes me. But I still 100 percent would love to be in Chicago.”
Hendricks heads into his ninth big league season coming off his worst year — a 4.77 ERA and 1.348 WHIP. He hadn’t felt so off since 2015 and is determined not to have a repeat.
So he’s keeping it simple and going back to the root of his success: his fastball. Everything Hendricks does works off the pitch, namely locating it down in the zone, which has been an emphasis this spring.
“I‘m feeling that I’m focused on the right things, my action’s right, which I just didn’t have at certain stretches last year,” Hendricks said. “It’s disconcerting when you’re out there and just know you don’t have it. So just knowing that I at least have some of my pillars locked in is a big mental confidence.”
Since becoming a constant in the rotation after his rookie season, Hendricks had known only winning. Last year was the first time since 2014 he experienced a losing season for the Cubs. He had to adjust to pitching on a team that by the trade deadline was essentially out of the postseason race.
Regardless of what happens this year from a team perspective, Hendricks knows what he must do.
“I try to be as unselfish as I can,” he said, “and so my focus has always been on the team and on winning and how I fit into that. So when you go out there and things change that drastically but you’re still trying to keep the same mindset, it can be tough.
“No matter where we’re at competitively, I need to go out and provide for this team and do my role and be who I am no matter what. That’s the mental clarity and the mental simplicity that I need to keep.”
