Matthew Boyd is back on the free-agent market, and the Cubs are now watching one of their more useful recent arms test the waters after a season that didn’t quite match his 2025 peak.
Boyd, who turns 36 in February, spent two years with Chicago and gave the club meaningful innings during that stretch. But injuries chipped away at his 2026 season, and his production slid from the All-Star level he showed the year before. Jed Hoyer chose not to extend him a qualifying offer, and Boyd is now looking for his next team.
MLB insider Jon Morosi thinks there will still be plenty of interest.
At this point in his career, I'd be surprised if he got more than another two-year deal.
That idea is not especially hard to buy. Boyd has done enough with the Cubs to remind teams he can still work as a quality mid-rotation starter, even if the health questions are part of the package now. The part that stands out, though, is Morosi’s comparison to another free-agent starter, Nick Martinez.
Martinez and Boyd were both viewed as steady voices in their clubhouses, but their 2026 seasons didn’t line up all that closely. Martinez, 36, was an All-Star for Tampa Bay, made 31 starts, logged 180 innings and finished with a 3.10 ERA. Boyd, by contrast, was limited to 22 starts and 126 2/3 innings, and he posted a 3.91 ERA.
The numbers on Baseball Savant show some overlap between the two pitchers. Both were below average in whiff rate and strikeout rate, but Martinez came out ahead in average exit velocity, walk rate and hard-hit rate. Boyd can still get outs, but Martinez appears to bring a little more to the table, especially if both are being considered for shorter-term contracts.
For the Cubs, the larger issue is the number of arms that need replacing. That leaves plenty of room for names like Boyd to stay in the mix, even if he wouldn’t be the answer at the top of the rotation. He could still fit as a useful piece.
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