Cubs: Ranking the team’s least likely big-name trade candidates

Cubs: Kyle Hendricks is one of the game’s most underrated arms

I’m not sure how, but Kyle Hendricks continues to fly under the radar. He kicked the season off with a dominant showing as the team’s Opening Day starter – and never looked back.

He made a dozen starts this year, posting a 2.88 ERA – his lowest since he won the league’s ERA crown back in 2016. His control was on full display, evidenced by an unthinkable 8.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 81 1/3 innings of work. While Yu Darvish garnered the attention and captured headlines, Hendricks did what he always does: quietly play second fiddle without complaint.

The Cubs locked up the right-hander with a four-year, $55 million deal last spring that includes an option that could keep him in Chicago through 2024, his age-34 season. That’s an incredibly team-friendly deal for a pitcher of this caliber and you can bet the front office is well aware of that fact.

Given he relies on intelligence and control rather than velocity, you hope Hendricks will age more gracefully than guys who throw harder and turn more heads. At the end of the day, you’re going to need pitching and keeping someone like Hendricks in tow just makes too much sense to even kick the tires on a trade. Especially knowing how consistently undervalued he is by other clubs.

Cubs will be hard-pressed to find a taker for Craig Kimbrel

The third and final guy on this list is closer Craig Kim brel. You’ll note: there is a different reason why each of these players are unlikely to be traded in the weeks and months to come.

For Rizzo, it’s his intangibles and consistency that, simply can’t be replaced. With Hendricks, the simple truth is no club seems to appropriately appreciate what he brings to the table. As for Kimbrel? It’s simply hard to imagine teams lining up for his services given what he’s done as a Cub.

Despite a stellar finish to the season this year, the veteran again struggled. He walked nearly one out of every five hitters he faced, and although his strikeout rate rebounded, his hard-hit rate also trended in the wrong direction.

He finished the year with a 5.28 ERA in 15 1/3 innings of work – although his 3.97 FIP suggests a slightly more favorable outlook on his efforts. Due $16 million in 2021 with a team option for as much in 2022, Kimbrel is on the costly side of the equation – so much so it’s hard to imagine the Cubs being able to trade him for anything of value.

Maybe there’s a straight salary-dump trade out there where Chicago could get something done but they’re probably best-served holding onto Kimbrel and hoping he has a dominant run leading up to next summer’s trade deadline, then trying to flip him to a contender.