As expected, the Chicago Cubs went to the middle tier of free-agent starting pitchers to address their rotation, reaching an agreement with left-hander Matthew Boyd on a two-year, $29 million contract, a source briefed on the deal confirmed to The Athletic.
For Boyd, this will be the next chapter in his comeback story. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023, he signed with the Cleveland Guardians in the middle of last season and completed his rehab under their supervision. He then posted a 2.72 ERA in eight starts, helping Cleveland win a division title. He also allowed only one run in 11 2/3 postseason innings as the Guardians advanced to the American League Championship Series.
In Chicago, Boyd will slot into a group projected to include Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad, plus a cluster of younger pitchers the Cubs have been trying to develop. Between ownership’s budgetary parameters and the organization’s recent success with Imanaga and Taillon, the Cubs had signaled their plans to avoid the top of the free-agent market.
The Cubs’ commitment to Boyd — the New York Post’s Jon Heyman first reported the signing early Monday morning — comes amid the run-up to next week’s Winter Meetings in Dallas. It also represents a shorter term and less than half of the money the Los Angeles Angels recently guaranteed Yusei Kikuchi, another left-handed pitcher in his mid-30s who landed a three-year, $63 million contract.
Similar to the New York Mets going for Frankie Montas with a two-year deal valued at $34 million, Boyd is more of an upside play for the Cubs than a guarantee of getting quality innings. When he’s healthy and on the mound, Boyd has been effective, though availability has been an issue.
That question mark is part of why Boyd ranked 36th on The Athletic’s big board of free agents; senior writer Tim Britton had projected a one-year, $11 million deal for the pitcher, who will be 34 next season. The early action in free agency, though, has shown that the market for starting pitching is hot, driving up prices.
Boyd won’t blow anyone away with his pure stuff, but his fastball did bump back up to 92 mph last season, a more normal level for him after a pre-surgery dip. Between the regular and postseason this past year, Boyd struck out 28.2 percent of the batters he faced, which would have led Chicago’s starting staff. Both his slider and curveball generated high whiff rates.
That potential has followed Boyd, who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays out of Oregon State University in 2013. Toronto later packaged the pitching prospect in the blockbuster David Price deal with the Detroit Tigers at the 2015 trade deadline.
Due to injuries, Boyd has not pitched a full season since 2019. He underwent flexor tendon surgery in 2021 and bounced around a few organizations. His overall numbers — a 46-69 record and a 4.85 ERA — are partially a reflection of playing on some bad Detroit teams at the beginning of his career.
In this next phase, the Cubs believe their pitching infrastructure will help draw more out of Boyd, as long as he stays healthy.
(Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
