Chicago Cubs Sign 3x All-Star Pitcher
The Cubs have signed the veteran right-hander to a minor league contract, with Hendriks expected to report to Triple-A Iowa.
The signing is a low-risk depth move for a team that currently has six relievers on the injured list.
Hendriks, 37, spent spring training with the Minnesota Twins before being released when informed he would not make the Opening Day roster.
He allowed three runs in seven innings with Minnesota, showing some deception and feel, but the velocity that once made him one of the most dominant closers in the sport has not come back.
His four-seamer averaged 93.9 mph with the Twins, the lowest mark since he transitioned to the bullpen more than a decade ago.
The Career That Earned Him This Chance
The Australian-born right-hander led all relievers with a combined 9.5 fWAR from 2019 through 2022, a 3.5-win lead on the second-place finisher, and earned three All-Star selections across those four seasons with Oakland and Chicago.
In 2021, with the White Sox, he led the American League with 38 saves, posted a 2.54 ERA with a 14.8 K/9 rate, and finished eighth in AL Cy Young voting.
He was, by any reasonable measure, one of the three best relief pitchers on the planet.
Liam Hendriks signs with Cubs @Britt_Ghiroli on it
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 13, 2026
Then came the non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in January 2022.
He underwent six rounds of chemotherapy, returned to the White Sox bullpen in May of that season, and made five appearances before an elbow injury required Tommy John surgery.
He missed all of 2024 rehabbing.
He made 14 appearances for Boston last season, posting a 6.59 ERA before a hip injury cut the year short again.
He signed with Minnesota this spring and was cut before the season started.
Now he is at Triple-A Iowa at age 37 trying to make one more run at the big leagues.
Liam Hendriks is signing a minor league deal with the Cubs, per @Britt_Ghiroli pic.twitter.com/rUc7jJ9sTs
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 13, 2026
The Cubs have had a connection to Hendriks going back years, and organizational familiarity with his work from his White Sox day.
If the arm is there, they will know quickly.
Hendriks has pitched 18.2 big league innings over the last three years combined. He is looking to pitch in a 15th MLB season.
Photo Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
