Hendriks agrees to 2-year deal with Red Sox (source)

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A new face arrived early Monday morning at the Fenway South complex in three-time All-Star closer Liam Hendriks, who agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Red Sox, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

The contract includes performance bonuses that can bring the value up to $20 million and includes a mutual option for ’26.

MassLive’s Chris Cotillo was first to report the Red Sox were closing in on a deal with Hendriks. The deal is pending a physical and has not been confirmed by the club.

Hendriks won’t pitch much — if at all — in 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery on Aug. 2 to repair a torn right ulnar collateral ligament. He hopes to return on the early side of the 12-to-14-month recovery timeline, but even that wouldn’t put him back in the Majors until after the All-Star break.

The injury was especially unfortunate for Hendriks, who returned to the mound May 29 after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma during the offseason. He made just five appearances, recording one save and posting a 5.40 ERA, before being placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation on June 12 and eventually undergoing surgery.

Kenley Jansen, the subject of recent trade rumors, is Boston’s current closer. He is a free agent at the end of the ’24 season.

Boston’s strong 1-2 combo of Jansen and ace setup man Chris Martin at the back end of the bullpen is viewed as a strength of the club.

The addition of Hendrik is a forward-thinking move by Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

At his best, Hendrik is a dominant pitcher who is just one year removed from back-to-back All-Star seasons with the White Sox in 2021 and ’22, posting a combined 2.66 ERA with 75 saves over the two-year span.

He ranked toward the top of many Statcast pitching metrics in 2022, including in the 99th percentile in whiff rate (41.3 percent) and the 96th percentile in expected batting average (.182). Hendriks peaked at an elite 42.3% strikeout rate in 2022, fanning 38.8% of hitters from 2019-22.

The right-hander has spent every one of his first 13 MLB seasons in the American League, debuting with the Twins in 2011 and pitching for the Royals, Twins and A’s before signing with the White Sox in free agency in January 2021.