The Chicago Cubs will be looking for some pitching options this winter to bolster their unit that was decimated by injuries.
It's remarkable their starting rotation was able to perform so well on a statistical basis, finishing ranked sixth in ERA with a 3.77, and despite the poor start the bullpen had, that unit recovered to finish with the 12th-best ERA.
Still, they were playing with fire for a long time.
Their ace Justin Steele was put on the injured list twice, young starters Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown missed the majority of the year, and multiple key pieces in their relief staff underwent season-ending injuries.
Coming into 2025, that could be a positive if everyone is available and stays healthy, but if they suffer a similar fate on the injury front, it could be hard to duplicate the success they had.
Depth should be something the Cubs search for in free agency, and Jake Misener of Cubbies Crib thinks they might pursue an affordable veteran pitcher as an option.
"One name we haven't talked about yet, but is turning heads in the postseason is veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd ... In what seems likely to mark the beginning of the post-Drew Smyly era, Boyd could give Craig Counsell an experienced option to slot into that swingman role," he wrote.
That move would make a lot of sense.
With Drew Smyly not expected to return in 2025 like Misener alluded to, Chicago might want to bring in another pitcher who can give them starts whenever called upon, but can also come out of the bullpen in long relief stints.
Matthew Boyd would have to accept that type of role, though.
Since coming back from Tommy John surgery that caused him to sign with the Cleveland Guardians late in the summer, he posted a 2.72 ERA across eight regular season starts before having two scoreless outings in the playoffs where he's given up just five hits over 6.2 innings pitched.
The only extended period of time Boyd has come out of the bullpen was in 2022 when he was acquired by the Seattle Mariners at the deadline.
He had 10 relief appearances where he gave up just two earned runs across 13.1 innings.
Coming off this performance he's had with the Guardians, there's a chance he searches for a starting pitching job after proving himself coming off his elbow surgery.
Maybe that's how the Cubs use him, too, moving Wicks into the bullpen where he could be more effective at this stage of his career.
It will be interesting to see how Chicago approaches their pitching staff this winter, but Boyd could be a real option for them.
