December 9: The Cubs officially signed Boyd on Saturday, with Robert Murray of FanSided (X Link) getting the full contract details today. As for Boyd, he will receive a 5MM signing bonus and 7.5MM salary in 2025, followed by a 14.5MM salary in 2026. The numbers are 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 rounds respectively.
December 2: Cubs already agree with lefty Matthew Boyd He signed a two-year contract with $29MM guaranteed, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The deal includes a $1MM performance bonus of $500,000 annually, which could bring total guarantees to $30MM over two years. Boyd is represented by Boras.
Boyd, 34, made his major league debut in February 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 posted a slightly below league average 4.75 ERA (95 ERA+) and 4.54 FIP in 727 innings as Detroit’s starter. The southpaw has shown flashes of exciting outside play at times, such as during the 2019 season when he struck out 30.2 percent of his opponents while walking just 6.3 percent in 185 1/3 frames, but his overall body of work makes him more of a A solid defender.
Boyd’s time with the Tigers came to an end when he required surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon late in the 2021 season, limiting him to just 10 relief appearances as a member of the Mariners. He returned to the Tigers in 2023 but started just 15 games with mediocre results before undergoing a second surgery, this time due to Tommy John surgery.
Boyd, fresh off major surgery, became a free agent again but remained unsigned heading into the 2024 season, eventually agreeing to a major league deal with the Guardians in June. The southpaw didn’t debut until mid-August when he was game-ready in the minor leagues, but once he suited up in Cleveland, he looked pretty good with a 2.72 ERA and 3.29 FIP in 39 2/3 innings overall. There are eight starts in the stage. He struck out 27.7% of his opponents while walking just 7.3%, which would give Boyd the best K-BB% among starters in the sport this year if he pitched enough innings to qualify. One of the best players. On the basis of his stable performance in the regular season, he performed well during the Guardians’ campaign in the American League Championship Series. He pitched 12 innings in four games (three starts) for the club, striking out 28 percent of his opponents while posting a dizzying 0.75 ERA.
Boyd’s strong season has the left-hander earning widespread interest in free agency this winter, despite his complicated injury history. MLBTR ranked Boyd as the No. 23 free agent on its annual list of the Top 50 MLB Free Agents this winter and predicted he would receive two years of $25MM guaranteed, which was slightly less than the contract he ultimately signed with the Cubs . Boyd becomes fifth starting pitcher to sign multi-year deal this winter Michael WachaSigned a three-year deal with the Royals Kikuchi YusenA three-year contract with an angel, Blake SnellFive-year deal with Dodgers; Frankie Montas As well as the Mets as reported earlier tonight.
It’s worth noting that four of the five are not subject to draft compensation in a pitching market where there are plenty of fringe candidates, e.g. Nick Pivetta and Luis Severino Their clubs extended their qualifying offers. (Wacha re-signed in Kansas City the day before the QO tender, but likely already received it.) Each pitcher got a deal that met or exceeded expectations.
Even so, it seems to prompt clubs not interested in signing eligible free agents to move quickly. The calendar has just turned to December, and the market for starters who have yet to receive qualifying offers is already starting to become scarce. MLBTR predicts that four free agent starters will receive multi-year deals this winter who are not subject to draft compensation: Jack Flaherty, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaneyand Jose Quintana.
Back with the Cubs, the addition of Boyd adds another capable veteran to an already left-handed rotation. Justin Steele and Shota Imaga and right-handers Jameson Taillon. Adding to the rotation has been a priority for the club this winter, although early reports of plans to purchase top rotation players ultimately gave way to suggestions that Chicago could look for players one or two levels below that pedigree. Considering Boyd’s roughly league-average production throughout his career and recent struggles with injuries, he fits the latter description. The lefty has been limited to 202 2/3 innings since the start of the 2021 season, during which time he has a 4.04 ERA (105+ ERA) and a 3.97 FIP, The strikeout rate was 23.2% and the walk rate was 8%.
While Boyd won’t necessarily be a front-end starter, it’s still not hard to imagine him providing an upgrade to the Cubs’ rotation when healthy. After all, the lefty has had a legitimate impact for the Guardians this year in both the regular season and the postseason, and for a long-time pitcher, late-career improvement rather than simple streaking success can’t be ruled out. He showed flashes of dominance throughout his major league career. What’s more, Chicago may be uniquely equipped to handle future injury-related absences thanks to a slew of options available, including Ben Brown, Javier Assad, Jordan Weeksand Hayden Wesneski Who could slot into the rotation fairly seamlessly if needed.
At the moment, it appears that these four may be competing for the fifth spot in the club’s rotation this spring, with Assad becoming an early pick after a generally successful season as the starter in 2024 (3.73 ERA, 4.64 FIP) the frontrunner. That still leaves just over $20MM in breathing room relative to the club’s 2024 Opening Day payroll, which Cot’s Baseball Contracts notes is just over $214MM. It’s not difficult to imagine the club seeking another starter via free agency or trade this winter to bolster their rotation while retaining financial flexibility, but given the club’s needs at catcher and in the bullpen, It seems likely that the funds will be used elsewhere – at least unless there is trade Cody Bellinger Clear some extra money off the club’s books.
