The Red Sox have made several moves to adjust their bullpen for 2024 but Boston made one on February 19 that’s geared towards 2025. Former All-Star reliever Liam Hendriks is reportedly headed to the Red Sox, as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
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A Look at Hendriks
Liam Hendriks recorded 75 saves from 2021-22 and fought some of the game’s toughest batters over that span. However, Hendriks had an even tougher battler last winter thanks to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Hendriks successfully beat the cancer and made his 2023 debut just months after his diagnosis in May 2023. The 35-year-old made just five appearances before being shut down for elbow inflammation. Still, Hendriks’ return earned him the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2023.
From a baseball standpoint, Hendriks wasn’t as sharp in his comeback. His velocity was down, yet Hendriks was still able to miss bats.
Aside from what was a short sample size in 2023, Hendriks has been one of the game’s dominant relievers over the last three seasons. From 2021-23, Hendriks posted very impressive K/9 (13.5) and BB/9 (1.6) rates. And, his .569 opponent’s OPS was 12th-best among relievers (min. 100 IP).
And when he’s been healthy, Hendriks boasts three above-average or better pitches, including a hard slider and a fastball that can touch triple-digits and plays up thanks to plus extension.
The stuff and results catapulted Hendriks into the conversation of being one of the best relievers in the game, alongside names like Edwin Diaz and Josh Hader. However, Boston won’t have Hendriks available to start in 2024.
Hendriks underwent Tommy John in August 2023 and may not pitch for all of 2024. However, Liam Hendriks is set to receive a two-year deal worth at least $10MM from the Red Sox, as well as a mutual option for 2026.
Analysis
The move to sign Hendriks comes just days after Boston traded reliable right-hander John Schreiber to the Royals. However, that may not be the only move Boston makes between now and the end of the 2024 campaign.
Both Chris Martin and incumbent closer Kenley Jansen are free agents at the end of the 2024 season. And for a Red Sox team that could be sellers in a deep AL East, those two — who have been the subject of trade rumors — could follow Schreiber out of Boston at some point.
With Hendriks on a two-year deal, the righty can not only rehab with team doctors but could be a prime candidate to be the Red Sox’s 2025 closer.
Hendriks won’t be a factor until later this 2024 season but this move does carry significance for the Red Sox’s short-term plans. And given what Hendriks has done in the past, there’s little risk here. It’s a short-term move that could pay big dividends for the Sox and Hendriks, especially if he can meet the incentives that would bump the deal to as much as $20MM.