Cubs great flips the script on MLB insider amid retirement drama

Shortly after the Chicago Cubs celebrated the retirement of Anthony Rizzo earlier this month, rumors started by Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggested that former Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks had already informed those close to him that he would be retiring after the season. Nightengale is no stranger to disguising assumptions as fact-based reporting, and that seems to be the case with his suggestion that the World Series icon is retiring.

Winding down his first season away from the Cubs, now with the Los Angeles Angels, Hendricks told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that he has yet to decide whether he will pitch next season. Hendricks also seemed to take a subtle shot at Nightengale, telling Shaikin that he appreciated being asked directly if he was going to retire after the season.

MLB insider put on blast by Cubs great amid retirement noise

In other words, in his "reporting" that Hendricks was going to retire after the season, Nightengale never thought to ask the 35-year-old directly.

This version of Hendricks is, by no means, the version that sat at the top of the Cubs' rotation for most of the last decade, but he is still proving to be a capable arm at the backend of a rotation. In 159 and 2/3 innings pitched with the Angels this season, Hendricks sits with an ERA of 4.79. An improvement from the 5.92 ERA he had during his final season with the Cubs, and his xERA this season of 4.01 suggests that the unusual way the Angels manage their pitchers could be why the current iteration of the veteran is not being maximized.

Regardless, in this current climate of baseball, if Hendricks does decide to pitch next season, he almost certainly would find a job. As cool as it would be to see Hendricks pitch the final inning of his career in a Cubs' uniform, there likely won't be much interest in a reunion this offseason if retirement is pushed off another season.

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