The Cubs’ two-year, $29MM deal Matthew Boyd became official today, sealing the veteran southpaw as the newest member of the Wrigleyville rotation. Even with this signing now in the books, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report that the Cubs remain open to adding multiple starters, and Walker Buehler “He’s on their radar.”
Boyd is ranked as Chicago’s fourth starter, back Shota Imanaga, Justin Steeleagain Jameson Taillon. Javier Assad is a favorite in the first fifth paragraph, and the popularity of Jordan Wicks, Hayden Wesneskiagain Ben Brown and in the first round, and the top prospect Late Horton and on the verge of his MLB debut. While this seems like a lot of depth already, the mantra of “you can never have enough pitching” can apply, as Wicks, Brown, and Horton all missed a lot of time in 2024 due to injuries.
Acquiring yet another experienced starter via trade or free agency would allow the Cubs to make Assad their depth arm, and it could be argued that Assad is qualified for such a role given his solid 3.40 ERA in his Major League innings career. 294. Since injuries are inevitable, however, it stands to reason that Assad will still get some level of rotational work. Beyond Assad, one of the pitchers could be a trade chip if the Cubs feel secure in the number of starters available.
The Cubs haven’t had much cash during Jed Hoyer’s tenure as president of baseball, given Taillon’s four-year, $68MM deal and Imanaga’s four-year, $53MM deal. However, Chicago has moved away from buying at the very top of the market in favor of mid- or short-term contracts like Taillon, Imanaga, Boyd, or (in the past) Marcus Stroman or Drew Smyly.
Buehler may also fall into this category, as it is widely assumed that the righty will sign a one-year deal as a cushion contract item after a disappointing 2024 season. While that disappointment was certainly tempered by a few good postseason outings and a championship ring with the Dodgers, Buehler’s regular season saw him post a 5.38 ERA with a host of below-average secondary metrics over 75 1/3 innings.
Since Buehler didn’t ride at all in 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, it looks like he could do better in 2025 now that he’s gotten rid of the rust. The baseball world has not forgotten how versatile Buehler looked before that TJ process, and this kind of high power led to interest not only from the Cubs, but also from well-known players such as the Braves, Yankees, Mets, and and Athletics.
As Mooney and Sharma note, it shouldn’t be considered a lock for Buehler to get a one-year deal, given that several pitchers have already exceeded expectations in the first month of free agency. As such, Mooney/Sharma feels the Cubs would prefer to avoid the free agent market and instead focus on adding a starter (or shortstop, or pitching help) in a trade. The issues in that case may not develop until Juan Soto signs, which may then perhaps clear the Cubs’ path in terms of finding a potential partner in another trade Cody Bellinger or Seiya Suzuki.
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