Cubs free agent Matthew Boyd draws head-scratching comparison from MLB insider

Among the exodus of Chicago Cubs pitchers who departed at season's end for free agency was Matthew Boyd, who played an important role for the team during his two-year run, but battled some injuries this year and took a pretty clear step back from his 2025 All-Star form.

Jed Hoyer opted not to offer him a qualifying offer (a prudent move, in my opinion), and now, the left-hander, who turns 36 in February, is back on the open market in search of a new home. His market will be an interesting one given his age and checkered health history, but with a ton of teams needing arms, MLB insider Jon Morosi believes Boyd will be a hot commodity.

At this point in his career, I'd be surprised if he got more than another two-year deal. Morosi's comments, at face value, aren't all that surprising. Boyd has done more than enough to re-establish his value as a quality mid-rotation piece during his time with the Cubs. But comparing him to another free-agent starter, Nick Martinez, feels like a bit of a stretch.

Nick Martinez out-shined Matthew Boyd during the 2026 season

Both were valuable leaders in their respective clubhouses, but their bodies of work were dramatically different this season. Martinez, 36, was an All-Star for Tampa Bay, making 31 starts, racking up 180 innings and pitching to a 3.10 ERA. That's more in line with what Boyd did in 2025, but as I said, he missed that mark in 2026 and was limited to just 22 starts and a 3.91 ERA over 126 2/3 frames.

If you take a look at their Baseball Savant pages, there are some key similarities. Both were solidly below average in both whiff and K rate, but Martinez had a clear edge in average exit velocity, walk rate and hard-hit rate. Boyd's still very capable of getting outs, but it feels like Martinez has more to offer, especially if we're talking about shorter-term deals for both.

At least on paper, Martinez makes sense as a potential Boyd replacement in the Cubs' rotation. The sheer volume of arms Hoyer needs to replace means every name on the market is an option and while I wouldn't pencil him in atop the rotation, he could be a very solid piece of the puzzle.

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