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Liam Hendriks signing proving to be smart decision

Drew Silva believes the Chicago White Sox's signing of Liam Hendriks was a smart one, despite the price tag.

Video Transcript

DREW SILVA: Big free agent payouts to relief pitchers are usually ill-advised. But the White Sox took that plunge this winter with Liam Hendricks, signing him to a three-year, $54 million guaranteed contract in January. And the marriage has worked out exceedingly well so far. Hendricks' stat line as of the second week of June looks very similar to the dominant 1.79 ERA, 0.897 WHIP an 13.1 K per nine that he posted in 110-plus innings with the A's between 2019 and 2020.

And he's been even better in some ways so far with Chicago, most notably in the strikeout department. His command has somehow reached even greater heights too. As the firmly locked in ninth-inning man for a White Sox team that looks poised to potentially run away with the American League Central title, the saves should continue to accumulate in bunches for Hendricks.

This comes in a year in which it's been difficult to make out who's getting the save chances on a week-to-week and sometimes night-to-night basis for most Major League teams. Tony La Russa has brewed up a lot of controversy in his return to the dugout at age 76, but fantasy managers who rostered Hendricks are certainly very pleased with La Russa's more traditional approach to the closer role.