5 players the Cleveland Guardians should avoid in free agency

3. Kyle Hendricks: Starting Pitcher - Chicago Cubs

Much like the previously mentioned entry of Patrick Corbin, Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks has seen better days. Up until the age of 30, Hendricks was basically guaranteed to deliver an impressive start every five days, but things have not been the same since then.

From his age 31 season through his age 34 season, Hendricks' ERA sits at 4.80 while his WHIP is up to 1.328, both notable increases over what came earlier in his career (3.12 ERA and 1.105 WHIP). Yes, some decrease in effectiveness is expected at this point in most player's careers, and for someone who has the pitching style of Hendricks, it is particularly troubling as he is only going to become more hittable as he continues to pitch.

Even though there is a chance the Guardians could find themselves in a similar position as they did last year, needing to take fliers on arms that nobody really expected. However, they should be looking at options that have a lot more upside than what Hendricks can provide at this point in his career. To put it simply, going down this path will not produce the type of results needed to justify doing so.