The Chicago Cubs had a boring offseason as graded by any judge, but on Tuesday they atoned for their inactivity just a bit by agreeing to an extension with right-handed starter Kyle Hendricks.

The pact will reportedly pay Hendricks $55.5 million over four years, with a club option in place for a fifth season that could push the deal's total value over $70 million:

Hendricks, 29, would have previously been free-agent eligible after the 2020 season. Instead, he'll remain in town through at least the 2023 campaign. That's good news for the Cubs given his track record of quality pitching. Over the last three seasons, Hendricks has averaged 29 starts to go with a 2.86 ERA (149 ERA+) and 3.55 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

For as good as Hendricks -- who joins a long list of players who've signed extensions in recent weeks -- has pitched, there's likely to be some skepticism about how well he'll age due to his status as a right-handed changeup artist. Last season, his sinker clocked in around 86.6 miles per hour, per Statcast, putting him in the second percentile in velocity among MLB pitchers. The only other right-handers to throw slower fastballs than Hendricks last season were Sergio Romo and Brad Ziegler.

Of course, Hendricks has proven to be an exception to the velocity rule thus far thanks to his athleticism and wit. What's stopping him, the Cubs are essentially asking, from continuing to be that over the coming years?