In the series of articles I’m writing about all the Cubs who are pending free agents or have various types of options, this will likely be among the shortest.
The Cubs signed Matthew Boyd to a two-year, $30 million deal before the 2025 season. It included a mutual $15 million option for 2027, with a $2 million buyout.
I’ll get to that, but let’s look at what Boyd produced over those two years.
The 2025 season was probably the best of Boyd’s career (though he had higher WAR with the Tigers in 2019).
Boyd posted a 3.21 ERA in 31 starts in 2025 and made his only All-Star appearance.
This year was filled with injuries and some really rough outings. In the end it wasn’t a terrible season; he posted a 3.91 ERA in 22 starts, though his final start, in the Wild Card Series against the Padres, was a tough one.
That one will probably be our final memory of Boyd as a Cub. The team will almost certainly decline the mutual option, making him a free agent.
One thing Boyd did exceptionally well is pickoffs. He had 12 in 2025, leading MLB by a significant margin (no one else had more than six). With fewer innings this year, he led again with six. We’ll miss that.
Boyd turns 36 in February. He’s probably past his best years and I think the Cubs should move on, thanking him for the two years he spent here and paying him the buyout. Apart from brief times in Seattle and Cleveland, Boyd had his best MLB success as a North Sider. Thanks, Matthew, for that, and I wish you well going forward.
What say you?
