Angels sign veteran RHP Hendricks to 1-year deal

ANAHEIM -- The Angels have been aggressive early this offseason, and they supplemented their rotation by signing veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks to a one-year, $2.5 million deal Thursday.

Hendricks, 34, is the latest addition for the Angels, joining outfielder Jorge Soler, infielder Scott Kingery and first baseman/outfielder Ryan Noda. Hendricks had spent his entire 11-year career with the Cubs, helping them win the 2016 World Series. This represents a homecoming for the Orange County native, who attended Capistrano Valley High School in nearby Mission Viejo.

Hendricks has a career 3.68 ERA in 276 appearances (270 starts) but posted a 5.92 ERA with 87 strikeouts, 43 walks and 21 homers allowed in 130 2/3 innings in 2024. He was better in '23, however, registering a 3.74 ERA with 93 strikeouts, 27 walks and 13 homers allowed in 137 innings.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian said they noticed something with his delivery they believe they can tweak to get him back on track in ’25. Hendricks also pointed to better mechanics down the stretch, when he had a 2.89 ERA in five September starts.

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“He's definitely going to start for us and we did identify some things with his delivery that we felt like were a little different than when he was successful,” Minasian said Friday. “When we get him in Spring Training, we'll talk about. But this is somebody that's gonna really, really help this group.”

Much like fellow veteran Tyler Anderson, Hendricks doesn’t offer much in terms of velocity, but the 6-foot-3 right-hander uses deception and a change of speeds to keep hitters off balance. Of all pitchers who threw at least 2,000 pitches last season, Hendricks had the lowest average fastball velocity at 87.7 mph, while Anderson ranked second at 89.4 mph. But velocity isn’t everything, as Anderson was named an All-Star in 2024 and posted a 3.81 ERA in a career-high 31 starts and 179 1/3 innings.

“We think there’s a lot left in the tank,” Minasian said. “We don't see any reason why he can't get back to the point where he was in ’23. He’s not somebody that relies on velocity. He can really pitch so and throwing strikes was a big issue for us.”

They join several other internal rotation candidates, including José Soriano, Jack Kochanowicz, Reid Detmers, Sam Aldegheri, Caden Dana and Chase Silseth. But lefty Patrick Sandoval will be out for the start of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June, and right-hander Griffin Canning was traded to the Braves last week for Soler.

Hendricks said he’s excited to join that group and to mentor some of the organization’s younger pitchers. Minasian praised Hendricks for his off-the-charts makeup and Hendricks said he’s looking forward to playing for a young team.

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“It's one of those things that kind of just happened organically with being with the Cubs for a long time,” Hendricks said of his leadership skills. “I learned so much from the guys that came before me, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jake Arrieta. I don't feel like I'm the veteran and the old guy. I just feel like I'm sitting around and we're all talking pitching together, talking baseball.”

The Angels, though, could still use another dependable starter and are still likely to add to their infield even after acquiring Kingery in a trade for cash considerations and claiming Noda via waivers. Minasian indicated there will still be several more moves made this offseason and that they are looking for infield, starting pitching and bullpen help.

“I'm not going to talk about individual free agents but we've had a ton of conversations,” Minasian said. “We're definitely looking to make this club better. There's a lot of areas where we can get better. The rotation is still a spot where we’d like to add another starter. Position player-wise, still have room to improve there. It’s something that we're going to continue to talk about.”