Red Sox, injured closer Liam Hendriks reportedly agree to 2-year, $10M deal
All-Star closer Liam Hendriks has found a new team.
According to multiple reports, Hendriks and the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal. The contract includes incentives that could increase the value to $20 million, and there is a third-year mutual option that could keep Hendriks off the free-agent market until 2027.
Hendriks, 35, isn't quite at the end of a rough spell that included a life-threatening illness and career-altering surgery. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in January 2023 while he was with the Chicago White Sox, and he immediately began cancer treatment. He began the 2023 season on the injured list but made his triumphant return to the majors on May 30.
Unfortunately, he was able to make five total appearances before injuring his elbow. There was hope throughout the summer that he'd be able to avoid surgery, but he underwent Tommy John surgery on Aug. 2. Despite that, he was voted 2023 American League comeback player of the year.
Tommy John surgery typically requires at least 12 months of recovery for pitchers, so why would the Red Sox sign a pitcher they almost certainly can't use this season? When he's not injured or getting life-saving cancer treatment, Hendriks is a great closer. In his two seasons with the White Sox before 2023, he had a 2.66 ERA over 127 games and 128 2/3 innings pitched. He finished 109 games, recorded 75 saves and struck out 198 hitters.
When Hendriks is fully healthy at the start of the 2025 season, he'll be 36, but his arm will have had two years off. That's a great deal for the Red Sox, who will already have a major bullpen piece in place when the next offseason comes around. And it's a great deal for Hendriks, who can spend 2024 recovering from surgery with a job guaranteed in 2025.
