The Chicago Cubs were mostly quiet in last offseason's free agency, but did make an under-the-radar signing, inking Matthew Boyd on a two-year, $29 million deal. Roughly two months into their season, it's safe to say that the Boyd signing is looking like a great move made by Jed Hoyer. He looks like a legitimate star.
There was one main reason for Cubs fans to be concerned with this signing. While Boyd has always had a lot of talent, he has had a difficult time staying healthy. Entering this season, he had just two years in which he had made more than 25 starts, and he hadn't done that since 2019.
Well, Boyd is healthy now, and the results have been extraordinary for a Cubs team that has needed every bit of it.
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Matthew Boyd has been the rotation lynchpin that the Cubs needed
The southpaw has a 2.98 ERA in nine starts and 51.1 innings of work. He has struck out 53 batters while issuing only 13 walks. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer each time he's taken the ball, and has gone at least six innings in six of his nine starts. Again, he has been nothing short of brilliant for the Cubs.
What makes his ascension even better for the Cubs is that they've really needed him to step up. Justin Steele is out for the rest of the year, Shota Imanaga is sidelined with an injury of his own, and Javier Assad has yet to throw a single pitch for the Cubs this season. This Cubs rotation has lacked consistency, but Boyd has been the one staple Craig Counsell can rely on every fifth day.
Cubs fans might not buy into Boyd's hot start, but he's shown signs of being a really good pitcher when healthy. Last season, in eight starts with the Cleveland Guardians, he had a 2.72 ERA in 39.2 innings of work in the regular season. Back in 2019, he allowed a ton of home runs, which spiked his ERA, but he struck out 238 batters in 185.1 innings of work. He's always had really good stuff and has done well limiting walks, but had trouble keeping the ball in the yard and staying healthy.
He's done both of these things this season so far, and the results have followed. He certainly looks every bit like a starter the Cubs can rely on to win them playoff games, which not many expected when he was signed.