Letting Liam Hendriks slip away from them before he morphed into a bulldog of a closer was one of the most regrettable failures of the Twins’ front office in the final days of the Terry Ryan regime. Bringing him back as a reclamation project in a weak bullpen doesn’t make up for it, but it’s a feel-good story, anyway. Robert Murray of FanSided was first with the news.
Hendriks isn’t getting a guaranteed big-league deal. He’ll be invited to big-league camp to compete for a place in the bullpen, but the Twins don’t have to expend big money or (for now) even a 40-man roster spot.
After becoming an All-Star closer with the Athletics and White Sox, Hendriks, 37, suffered a series of health setbacks. He was diagnosed with cancer in January 2023, and missed the first two-plus months of that season. His return was a triumphant, wonderful moment—but within a few weeks, he was shelved by an elbow injury that eventually required Tommy John surgery. He hasn’t been the same since. He missed all of 2024 and was only intermittently available last year for the Red Sox. His numbers were ugly when he did take the mound, too, though his stuff still impresses some models.
If he can stay healthy, Hendriks has the makeup and the arsenal to be a useful right-handed reliever. The Twins are rolling the dice on his positive influence on the clubhouse and his body getting back to normal after a long period of disruption. If they lose, they won’t have sacrificed anything substantial to try it.