Cubs sign Matthew Boyd

The Cubs have agreed to the left-hander Matthew Boyd According to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, he has agreed to a two-year contract that guarantees him $29 million. The deal includes $1 million in performance bonuses, which could increase the total guarantee to $30 million over two years.

Boyd, 34 in February, made his big league debut with the Blue Jays in 2018 but established himself in the majors the following year as a member of the Tigers. From 2016 to 2020, Boyd was a slightly below league average starter for Detroit with a 4.75 ERA (95 ERA+) and 4.54 FIP in 727 innings. The southpaw flashed exciting peripheral offense at times, such as during the 2019 season when he shut out 30.2% of opponents in 185 1/3 frames while walking just 6.3%, but his overall production allowed him to do more become a solid defender. the rotation arm than anything else. Boyd’s time with the Tigers came to an end when he underwent surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon near the end of the 2021 season, limiting him to just ten appearances as a member of the Mariners. He returned to the Tigers in 2023, but made just 15 starts with lackluster results before going under the knife a second time, this time due to Tommy John surgery.

Boyd was once again a free agent after undergoing major surgery and remained unsigned prior to the 2024 season before ultimately agreeing to a major league deal with the Guardians in June. The left-hander didn’t make his season debut until mid-August after getting ready to play in the minor leagues, but when he suited up for Cleveland, he posted a 2.72 ERA and a 3.29 FIP in 39 2/3 innings quite good from over eight starts down the stretch. He struck out 27.7% of his opponents while walking just 7.3%, which would have given Boyd one of the better K-BB% numbers for a starter in the sport had he thrown enough innings to qualify. The left-hander continued his solid regular season performance with a strong performance during the Guardians’ run to the ALCS. He pitched 12 innings in four appearances (three starts) for the club, striking out 28% while posting a stunning 0.75 ERA.

This strong finish to Boyd’s season ensures that the southpaw will attract significant interest in free agency this winter despite his checkered injury history. MLBTR ranked Boyd as the No. 23 free agent in this winter’s class on our annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list and projected a two-year, $25 million guarantee, just shy of the pact he ultimately signed with the Cubs has closed. Boyd’s arrival makes him the fourth starting pitcher to sign a multi-year contract this winter Yusei Kikuchi‘s three-year contract with the Angels, Blake Snell‘s five-year deal with the Dodgers and the two-year deal in between Frankie Montas and the Mets, which was reported on tonight.

What’s notable is that all four hurlers are in a pitching market where there are plenty of borderline candidates, such as b Nick Pivetta And Luis Severino The qualification offer was extended by their clubs. Every pitcher has completed a deal that exceeded expectations, with only Montas doing so significantly. Still, this appears to have pushed clubs uninterested in signing a qualified free agent to act quickly, and while the calendar has only just flipped to December, the market for uncommitted starters is already beginning to shrink to a qualified offer. MLBTR projected multi-year deals for just four other free-agent starters not tied to draft pick compensation this winter: Jack Flaherty, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew HeaneyAnd Jose Quintana. Outside of that quartet, clubs will either have to give up draft picks and bonus pool money to sign a qualified free agent, take a look at a rebound candidate like Max Scherzer or Walker Buhleror explore the trading market to improve their rotations.

Back to the Cubs: The addition of Boyd adds another capable veteran arm to a rotation that already features lefties Justin Steele And Shota Imanaga as well as right-handed people Jameson Taillon. Adding a starting pitcher to the rotation was an established priority for the club this winter, although early reports of plans to acquire a top-of-the-rotation arm eventually gave way to the suggestion that Chicago could be looking for weapons at the tier instead or two under this family tree. Boyd fits the latter description, considering he has performed around league average over the course of his career and has struggled with injuries of late. The left-hander has pitched just 202 2/3 innings since the start of the 2021 season, posting a 4.04 ERA (105 ERA+) with a 3.97 FIP and a 23.2% strikeout rate versus a walk during that time 8% achieved rate.

While Boyd doesn’t necessarily profile as a front-end starter, it’s still not hard to imagine him improving the Cubs’ rotation when healthy. After all, the left-hander has been legitimately influential for the Guardians in both the regular season and playoffs this year, and it can’t be ruled out that success will be more of a late-stage progression for a pitcher who’s been around a long time Career is just a hot streak. During his time in the majors, he repeatedly showed dominance. Additionally, Chicago may be uniquely well-equipped to handle absences due to future injuries thanks to a strong group of young players that includes Ben Brown, Javier Assad, Jordan WicksAnd Hayden Wesneski who can enter the rotation relatively seamlessly if necessary.

Currently, that quartet is expected to compete for the fifth spot in the club’s rotation this spring, with Assad the early frontrunner after a generally successful season (3.73 ERA, 4.64 FIP) as a starter in 2024. RosterResource currently projects the Cubs to have a $176 million payroll in 2025, and the Boyd deal is expected to increase that to $191 million. That still leaves just over $20 million wiggle room compared to the club’s Opening Day 2024 payroll, which was just over $214 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. It’s not impossible to imagine the club looking for another starter this winter with remaining financial flexibility to bolster its rotation either through free agency or a trade, but given the club’s needs at catcher and in the bullpen, it seems es that these funds are likely to be used elsewhere – at least unless it involves a trade Cody Bellinger wipes extra money from the club’s books.