Liam Hendriks is heading back to where it all began - and perhaps, where his story might find one more chapter.
The 37-year-old reliever has signed a minor-league deal with the Minnesota Twins, complete with an invite to spring training. It’s a low-risk move for the Twins, but one that carries some upside if Hendriks can rediscover the form that once made him one of the most dominant closers in baseball.
This is more than just a reunion. Hendriks made his big-league debut with the Twins back in 2011, but that version of him was a far cry from the All-Star closer he would later become.
Back then, he was a starter - and not a particularly effective one - posting a 6.06 ERA over 30 games (28 starts). It was a rough introduction to the majors, and it kicked off a nomadic stretch of his career that saw him bounce from Minnesota to Chicago (Cubs), Baltimore, Toronto, Kansas City, back to Toronto, and then Oakland.
It was in Oakland where everything finally clicked. Hendriks transitioned fully into a bullpen role and emerged as a late-inning weapon.
That run earned him a three-year, $54 million deal with the White Sox, where he became a three-time All-Star and twice finished in the top 10 in AL Cy Young voting. In 2021, he led the American League with 38 saves - a career high and a testament to how far he’d come from those early days in Minnesota.
But the last couple of years haven’t been easy. Hendriks signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the Red Sox before the 2024 season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
He missed all of 2024 and returned to the mound last year, making 14 appearances out of Boston’s bullpen. The results weren’t what he or the team had hoped for: 13.2 innings, 10 earned runs, an 0-2 record, and a 6.59 ERA.
His comeback was cut short in September when he underwent another elbow surgery. By November, the Red Sox declined his $12 million option for 2026, opting instead to pay a $2 million buyout.
Still, Hendriks isn’t done. He recently threw for scouts in Florida and reportedly looked sharp enough to earn a shot with the Twins. For Minnesota, this is a no-lose situation - a veteran arm with a proven track record, coming in on a minor-league deal, hoping to prove he’s still got something left in the tank.
The Twins could certainly use some bullpen help. They’re coming off a 70-92 season that left them in fourth place in the AL Central, 18 games behind the division-winning Guardians. Hendriks, if healthy, could provide a stabilizing presence in the late innings - or at the very least, some veteran leadership for a club looking to rebound.
It’s been a winding road for Hendriks, full of setbacks, comebacks, and reinventions. Now, back in the organization where it all started, he’s chasing one more shot. And if history has taught us anything about Liam Hendriks, it’s that counting him out has rarely worked.