Cubs Sign Matthew Boyd – MLB Trade Rumors

DECEMBER 9: The Cubs made Boyd’s signing official on Saturday, and FanSided’s Robert Murray (link X) has all the contract details today. Boyd receives a $5 million signing bonus and a $7.5 million salary in 2025, followed by a $14.5 million salary in 2026. There is a $2 million buyout on a mutual option of $15 million for 2027. As for bonuses, Boyd receives $100,000 to get to 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 innings pitched each season.

DECEMBER 2: The Cubs are OK with lefty Matthew Boyd with a two-year contract that will guarantee him $29 million, according to a report by Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The deal includes $1 million in performance bonuses, $500,000 per year, which could bring the total guarantee to $30 million over two years. Boyd is represented by Boras Corporation.

Boyd, 34 in February, made his big league debut with the Blue Jays in 2018, but established himself in the majors as a member of the Tigers the following year. From 2016-2020, Boyd was a slightly below-league-average starter for Detroit with a 4.75 ERA (95 ERA+) and 4.54 FIP in 727 innings of work. The lefty has shown exciting peripherals at times, as in the 2019 season when he struck out 30.2% of opponents in 185 1/3 frames while walking just 6.3%, but his overall work has made him more of a solid back-of-arm rotation more than anything.

Boyd’s time with the Tigers ended when he had to undergo surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon late in the 2021 season, which left him limited to just ten relief 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.

Once again a free agent coming off major surgery, Boyd remained unsigned ahead of the 2024 season before finalizing a big-league deal with the Guardians in June. The lefty didn’t make his season debut until mid-August after preparing for minor-league play, but once he suited up for Cleveland he looked pretty good with a 2.72 ERA and 3.29 FIP in 39 2/3 innings working through eight the stretch begins. He struck out 27.7% of his opponents while walking just 7.3%, which would have given Boyd one of the best K-BB% figures for a starter in the sport this year if he pitched enough innings to qualify. He built on that solid regular season performance with a strong showing during the Guardians’ run to the ALCS. He pitched 12 innings for the club in four appearances (three starts) and struck out 28% of opponents while posting a dazzling 0.75 ERA.

That strong finish to Boyd’s season left the lefty poised to garner plenty of interest in free agency this winter, despite his checkered injury history. MLBTR ranked Boyd as the No. 1 free agent. 23 in this winter’s class on our annual list of MLB’s top 50 free agents and carries a two-year, $25 million guarantee that comes in just shy of the pact he ultimately made with the Cubs. Boyd becomes the fifth starting pitcher to sign a multi-year contract this winter by joining Michael Wachathe three-year contract with the Royals, Yusei Kikuchithe three-year pact with the Angels, Blake Snellwith the Dodgers and the two-year deal between Frankie Montas and the Mets that were reported on this evening.

Notably, four of the five were not burdened with draft pick compensation in an introductory market where many borderline prospects like Nick Pivetta AND Luis Severino the qualifying offer by the respective clubs has been extended. (Wacha re-signed in Kansas City the day before QOs were offered, but would most likely have received one.) Each pitcher got a deal at or above expectations.

Even so, this appears to have prompted clubs that aren’t interested in signing a qualified free agent to act quickly. The calendar has just turned to December and the market is already starting to shrink in terms of starters who aren’t attached to a qualifying offer. MLBTR has multi-year deals on just four other free agents who are not tied to draft pick compensation this winter: Jack Flaherty, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew HeaneyAND Jose Quintana.

Returning to the Cubs, the addition of Boyd adds another skilled veteran arm to a rotation that already features lefties Justin Steele AND Shota Imanaga as well as the right-hander Jameson Taillon. Increasing the rotation has been a well-established priority for the club this winter, though early reports of plans to acquire a high-end arm eventually gave way to the suggestion that Chicago might instead look for a level-or-two arm. under that pedigree. Boyd fits the latter description, given his roughly league-average work throughout his career and his recent struggles with injuries. The lefty has been limited to just 202 2/3 innings of work since the start of the 2021 season, and in that time has posted a 4.04 ERA (105 ERA+) with a 3.97 FIP and slugging percentage. strikeouts of 23.2% against a walk of 8% rate.

While Boyd may not necessarily profile as 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 made a legitimate impact for the Guardians this year in both the regular season and playoffs, and it can’t be ruled out that the success is a late-career step forward rather than simply a streak for a pitcher who He has long shown flashes of dominance during his time in the majors. Additionally, Chicago is perhaps uniquely well-equipped to handle any absences caused by future injuries thanks to a large group of optional arms that includes Ben Brown, Javier Assad, Jordan WicksAND Hayden Wesneski which can come into rotation quite easily if needed.

For now, it seems likely that that quartet will compete for the fifth spot in the club’s rotation this spring, with Assad as the early favorite after a generally successful season (3.73 ERA, 4.64 FIP) as a starter in 2024. projects i Cubs for a $176 million payroll in 2025, and the Boyd deal should move that up to the $191 million range. That still leaves a little more than $20 million breathing room over the club’s 2024 Opening Day 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 to bolster their rotation through free agency or trade this winter with the financial flexibility the club has left, but given the club’s needs at catcher and in the bullpen it appears those funds will be probably used elsewhere, at least unless it’s an exchange of Cody Bellinger it clears some additional money off the club’s books.