Hendricks: Heavy turnover feels normal in baseball
A week has passed since the Cubs traded away most of their best players, leaving just Kyle Hendricks, Willson Contreras and Jason Heyward left from the World Series team, without taking a detour to Philadelphia like Jake Arrieta.
Hendricks was asked Friday if it still feels strange walking into a clubhouse without Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javy Baez etc., or is that feeling starting to subside.
"It's pretty much worn off in a way," Hendricks said. "It was 24, 48 hours where it was kind of tough. But I've said it before, it made me realize that it was almost weird in a way playing with those guys for that long. We come up our whole lives, we're playing on different teams, we're playing with different players, all the way through the minor leagues.
"Then to stick with a team and play with a group of guys for eight years or so, it's unheard of. So I think that was really the special and rare part. This is more of the norm that I've been used to from my baseball life, I would say."
The new era of the Cubs reminded Hendricks of his early days with the team, making his major league debut.
"I got an opportunity back in '14 because of of similar situation to this," he said. "So it's just really cool that guys are coming up there making the most of it. It's bringing lot of energy to the club. It's just fun to watch."
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