The Chicago Cubs took a gamble on Matthew Boyd prior to the 2025 season, signing the oft-injured lefty to a two-year, $29 million deal– and the bet definitely paid off.
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The Cubs front office made their move based on just about two months of 2024 data following his Tommy John surgery in 2023 and other assorted physical setbacks dating back to 2020. The veteran starter came into the 2025 season without having pitched more than 100 innings since 2019.
Prior to last season, Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy talked about the general expectations of Boyd in 2025– they’d be happy with just 120 innings of solid baseball from him.
Well, Boyd far exceeded those expectations and posted a 3.21 ERA in 179.2 innings pitched over 31 starts and performed his way into becoming the rotation’s ace.
He was rewarded for that stellar season by getting the Opening Day starter nod from manager Craig Counsell.
“You earn these things,” Counsell told reporters. “And Matthew has earned this with how he’s pitched last year and since coming back from an injury. He had a great season last year. He’s a very important player for us, and we’re excited to give him the ball on Opening Day.”
Boyd speaks on Opening Day gig
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Boyd, meanwhile, keeps being Boyd. Touched by the gesture of getting the 2026 opener gig, the honor weighs more heavily on him as his roots are steeped in Cubs lore, passed to him by his beloved late grandfather who was a hardcore Cubs fan.
“You don’t know if the opportunity is ever going to present itself again,” Boyd said of the Opening Day designation. “So it’s an honor. I mean, 162 games is a long season. It’s really cool to be out there to start it out.”
“Opening Day is special,” Boyd added, “but Opening Day at Wrigley is really something that is truly special. And I understand how much it means to Chicago fans.”
From the end of the line to a new beginning
For a guy who was virtually on the way out of major league baseball or, at the very least, in extreme doubt over his physical ability to pitch again, the gig has to be especially satisfying. What could have been the end of the line ended up being the start of a new beginning.
“If I don’t believe it, who else will?” Boyd said of his mindset prior to the start of last season. “I knew my best was ahead of me. What I didn’t know is if I’d get the opportunity to show it.”
Now, what’s ahead for Boyd is a 2026 where the Cubs are expected to win the NL Central Division and make a deep playoff run. There’s also a crucial career decision awaiting him. Boyd and the Cubs have mutual options at the end of the season and that could mean that the 35-year-old might be pitching elsewhere next year.
For now, though, Opening Day– and then a long, grueling season– await.
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