Cubs Made A Wise Investment In Matthew Boyd

Forbes

3 days ago

In the finale of a three-game sweep of the Rockies on Wednesday night, Matthew Boyd tossed six one-run innings. He struck out eight, walked none, and gave up just two hits. It was his fourth quality start of May and sixth of the season. Seventh, if you include an April start against the Dodgers in which three of the six runs he allowed were unearned. In eleven starts this year, Boyd has 64 strikeouts compared to 15 walks. In the month of May, Boyd has struck out 34 batters while walking only two.
In a Cubs rotation battered by injuries to key starters, Boyd has been something of a savior. And on a two-year, $29 million contract with the Cubs, Boyd is proving to be a wise investment for Chicago thus far.
The Cubs are without Justin Steele until early next season after he needed to undergo Tommy John surgery in April, and Shota Imanaga is working to come back from a hamstring strain and is not expected back on the mound until mid-June at the earliest.
'Our [pitching] depth, it's been tested,' Cubs team president Hoyer told reporters this week. 'And we have to assume that that's not going to stop, that we'll continue to be tested. And we have to continue to find depth where we can find it.'
Boyd was a key addition this offseason, especially given the way he has stepped up with Steele and Imanaga downed by injuries, but also because coming into the 2025 season it was not certain whether or not Boyd would be able to supply the kind of pitching value the Cubs needed.
The Cubs will still undoubtedly need to pursue starting pitching as the July trade deadline approaches, but Boyd is one of the reasons the Steele and Imanaga injuries have not tanked a season where they are well-suited to win the National League Central.
Through his eleven starts, Boyd has a 3.08 ERA with the aforementioned six quality starts. He has only once allowed more than four runs in a game, and that was against the Dodgers on April 23 when multiple fielding miscues allowed three runs to score unearned. Arguably, Boyd's worst start of his season came about a week ago in Cincinnati, when he lasted just four innings and gave up four runs on eight hits. In fact, the only two walks Boyd issued in May came during that start against the Reds. Otherwise, Boyd has pitched more like an ace for the Cubs this season.
While doing that on the mound, Boyd is also providing value to the Cubs in the clubhouse. As a big league veteran who has been in the majors since 2015, he has taken on a mentoring role with some of the younger pitchers. Namely, Ben Brown, who has spent some of his days between starts tracking pitches with Boyd to help him prepare for upcoming outings.
And in general, Boyd's attitude and demeanor are filled with gratitude for his current circumstances. Having gone through periods of uncertainty because of injuries, Boyd has a perspective on where he is now that is rubbing off in the locker room at Wrigley Field.
'It's such a positive vibe,' shortstop Dansby Swanson told reporters. 'Someone that has that perspective on life is awesome to be around. Just not taking anything for granted, just really enjoying showing up every day, just enjoying the ins and outs of the game, the grind of the game.
'He's somebody that we've definitely enjoyed having here, and we're going to continue to. I'm just happy that he's on our team and that he's healthy.'
Boyd, for his part, knows that even though he has been very successful to this point in the season, there is no guarantee of what will come in the future.
'I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I just know what I'm going to do when the ball is in my hand,' Boyd said. 'When the ball is in my hand, I know what I'm going to do. And I know what I'm commanded to do, and I'll do that. Day after day, whenever. Whatever comes tomorrow, we'll deal with it.'
One thing that is for certain is that the Cubs made a very wise investment in Boyd. Even if he does not keep up with the kinds of numbers he is posting through the first two months of the season, Boyd has already supplied the Cubs with considerable value.
As things currently stand, the Cubs are 14 games above .500, have the second-best run differential in baseball, and they are tied for the most wins in the National League. They have a three-game lead over the Cardinals in their division, and that's despite St. Louis going 18-7 this month and riding a nine-game winning streak from May 4 to May 12.
They can thank Matthew Boyd for at least some of that. Their offense is one of the best in baseball, but even with the highest run-scoring lineup, the best teams will crumble if they are not getting good pitching from the starting staff. As the season approaches its third month, it looks like Boyd was one of the best investments the Cubs front office made this offseason.