Waiver Wire Could Give Cubs a Chance to Relive a Piece of 2016

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Los Angeles Angels pitcher Kyle Hendricks

Kyle Hendricks ’ first summer in Southern California has been anything but the soft-landing encore some envisioned.

The Los Angeles Angels took a flier on the longtime Chicago Cubs ace, hoping his pitch-to-contact precision could steady an injury-thinned rotation. Instead, inconsistency has been the theme. Hendricks has mixed the occasional vintage outing – soft contact, quick innings, weak fly balls – with nights where hitters seem to know exactly what’s coming.

Through his first months in Los Angeles, Hendricks’ numbers have hovered in that gray area between “serviceable” and “replaceable.” The ERA has lingered in the mid-4s, the WHIP a little higher than his comfort zone. His changeup, long the signature pitch that made hitters guess wrong even when they guessed right, still flashes, but it hasn’t consistently neutralized left-handed bats the way it once did.

Bleacher Report Predicts Kyle Hendricks Could be Released by the Angels

It hasn’t been a disaster – Hendricks’ command is still crisp enough to avoid blow-up innings, and his home-run rate has stayed in check – but it hasn’t been transformative either. And for a team fighting to avoid the AL West cellar, the Angels’ front office may soon weigh the benefits of a veteran innings-eater against the cost of a roster spot in a lost season.

Bleacher Report now lists Hendricks among the veteran players most likely to be cut loose before season’s end. If that happens, there’s a reunion scenario that’s almost too obvious to ignore.

Hendricks isn’t just another pitcher who once wore Cubbie blue. He’s one of the last links to the 2016 World Series roster still active in the league, the rare player who could walk into Wrigley Field and immediately draw a standing ovation. He won an ERA title, started playoff clinchers, and earned the “Professor” nickname for his surgical approach on the mound.

And if he becomes available, Hendricks could be an interesting option to appease a frustrated fan base.

Bringing in Kyle Hendricks Could Appease Chicago’s Frustrated Fan Base

In 10 seasons with the Cubs, Hendricks went 97-81 with a 3.68 ERA, and while the past few years saw inevitable dips in velocity and strikeout rate, Hendricks remained a stabilizing force in a rotation that cycled through youth movements and short-term rentals. Even his 100th career win this year felt like a Cubs milestone, even if it came elsewhere.

The 2025 Cubs’ rotation has been a patchwork since Opening Day. Injuries have sidelined key starters, and trade deadline reinforcements never materialized . Instead of the kind of splash fans expected in late July – the type that might have kept pace with Milwaukee in the division race – the Cubs largely stood pat.

That decision has frustrated fans who see the team close enough to contend but short enough on reliable arms to make a September push risky. Hendricks wouldn’t arrive as a savior, but as a stabilizer – a pitcher who could take the ball every fifth day and give five or six competitive innings without torching the bullpen.

From a front-office standpoint, a waiver claim would be a financial footnote. From a clubhouse standpoint, it would be a veteran presence with championship experience walking through the door. And from a fan standpoint, it would be the kind of August headline that actually sells tickets.

There’s no guarantee Hendricks will hit waivers, and even if he does, the Cubs may weigh younger options. But it’s a simple formula: the cost is minimal, the upside is steady innings, and the narrative is a crowd-pleaser.

If the Angels do let him go, the Cubs won’t have to think too hard about what to do next. Sometimes, the right move is also the sentimental one – and this one would check both boxes.

Dave Benson is a veteran writer with over three decades of journalism experience covering sports primarily in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Dave is also a licensed English teacher and spent several years teaching at the middle school level. More about Dave Benson