Cubs sign Matt Boyd to $29 million contract

The Chicago Cubs have set out to improve their starting pitching heading into the 2025 season, and they have already made a potentially impactful move this early in the free agency process. On Monday morning, the Cubs reportedly agreed with left-handed starting pitcher Matt Boyd on a two-year, $29 million deal, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The total value of Boyd’s contract with the Cubs can reach $30 million, as per Heyman, with the 33-year-old southpaw potentially receiving an extra $500,000 in his two years in the Windy City in performance bonus if he reaches certain benchmarks.

Boyd earned this contract by being one of the best pitchers for a Cleveland Guardians team that made it all the way to the ALCS in 2024. The newest Cubs starter may have pitched in just eight regular-season games for the Guardians, putting up a solid ERA of 2.72 in 39.2 innings pitched, but in the playoffs, he was lights out, recording an elite 0.77 ERA in 11.2 innings.