Left-hander Matthew Boyd returned to the Cubs after his stint with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and was promptly named the team’s Opening Day starter by manager Craig Counsell. He’ll take the ball and be followed by Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga in some order. Righties Javier Assad and Ben Brown are potential 40-man alternatives, and veteran Colin Rea will open the season in a swingman role in the bullpen.
Boyd, who turned 35 last month, tossed a career-high 179 1/3 innings with the Cubs last season. He worked to a strong 3.21 ERA with a slightly below-average 21.4% strikeout rate but a terrific 5.8% walk rate. Boyd is entering the second season of a two-year, $29MM contract. He already unlocked $500K of incentives last year based on his workload, and he’ll be paid $14.5MM in 2026 with the opportunity to earn another $500K via incentives (reaching 120 innings). He’s also owed a $2MM buyout on a 2027 mutual option that won’t be picked up by both parties.
In other Cubs news, the team announced its latest wave of cuts this morning. Lefties Luke Little and Ryan Rolison were optioned to Triple-A, as was fleet-footed outfielder Justin Dean. The Cubs also reassigned a handful of non-roster players to minor league camp — Vince Velasquez most notable among them.
By sending Dean to Triple-A to begin the season, the Cubs made it quite likely that they’ll open the season with a current non-roster veteran holding a bench spot as a reserve outfielder. Former top prospect Kevin Alcántara remains in big league camp and is on the 40-man roster, but he has an option year left and is currently 4-for-21 with nine strikeouts in 23 official spring plate appearances. The team would presumably prefer him to be playing every day in Iowa rather than sitting on the bench and grabbing a start or two per week anyhow.
The most notable non-roster outfielders in camp are Dylan Carlson, Michael Conforto and Chas McCormick. Carlson has been the most productive of the bunch and offers the bonus of being a switch-hitter who can handle all three outfield spots. Conforto is a pure lefty who’s not an option in center field, though he has the most prominent major league track record of this group (albeit not in the past couple seasons). McCormick is a righty-hitting center fielder who can handle all three spots and has crushed lefties in the past (but struggled against all opponents in 2025).
One player who clearly seems ticketed for a heavily used role off the bench: former top prospect Matt Shaw. The 24-year-old hit just .226/.295/.394 as a rookie but did have a nice showing over the season’s final three months. The Cubs’ signing of Alex Bregman displaced Shaw from last year’s home at third base, and he’s now moving into more of a utility role.
We’ve already seen Shaw get some reps in the outfield and at second base, but The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma writes that he’s now working first base into his repertoire as well. Shaw tells Sharma that he worked out at first base for about three days before making his debut at the position there during yesterday’s Cactus League game.
Getting some work in at first base is all the more important in the event of Tyler Austin‘s knee surgery, which will keep him sidelined for several months. Austin returned from Japan’s NPB this year, signing a one-year deal with the Cubs to serve as a righty-swinging complement to Michael Busch at first base and the provide some pop off the bench.
That role is obviously on hold for the time being, and with no clear option to step up and take it — right-handed-hitting corner infield prospect Jonathon Long has been slowed in camp by an elbow issue — Austin’s injury could create some additional at-bats for Shaw in the early portion of the season. Busch batted .207/.274/.368 against lefties last season and is a career .230/.295/.356 hitter in left-on-left settings. Shaw hit .250/.318/.490 versus left-handers last year and finished as a Gold Glove finalist at the hot corner, so he should have the athleticism and defensive acumen to handle a multi-position role.
Cuba and brewers have a soft rotation. This is gonna be the reds year !
That is completely false about both teams smh
He’s probably an optimistic Reds fan or watched some YouTube or TikTok or whatever saying it’s the Reds year.
Reds have a lot to like in my eyes. I can see growth from Elly, rebound from McLain, potential breakout from Sal Stewart. On the other hand, I agree with other commenters regarding pitching as a whole for Reds with SP as a strength and relief as a weakness. Losing Hunter for that long is a massive blow without even addressing how he will look when he returns, and to me signing Suarez instead of improving the pen was a head scratcher to me. On top of Cubs and especially Brewers being solid. I do think Reds make some noise. Win division? No.
Rhett Lowder fills in for Greene. Definitely a step down in talent but still an exciting prospect. Burns was already better than Greene before the injury. Franconia’s got these boys op too. Watch out for em 🔥
Cuba probably does have a weak rotation. The Cubs on the other hand do not and they also have Justin Steele rehabbing.
The Reds have a good starting rotation, a terrible bullpen and their offense is bad despite playing in one of the most hitter friendly parks in baseball.
Also, de la Cruz had the Reds highest WAR at 3.6 which was tied with Carson Kelly and lower than Busch, Hoerner, Swanson, PCA, Happ and 0.1 higher than Bregman who only played 114 games.
Im not agreeing with the op but the reds did improve the bullpen
Elly was hurt half the year, anyways I hope this division is fun to watch this year.
Cubs players had higher war bc they won more games last year. Not this season thou. They traded away too many prospects, over valued Bregman and their rotation is as bad as Cuba’s. Regression coming. I do like Horton thou ! Dude is going to breakout in a big way this season
That isn’t how WAR works chief hahaha!
That one prospect is really going to hurt the Cubs huh?
Big whiffa… must refer to your post being swings and misses.
That is how it works. They performed better, last year. And yall been trading away prospects for 2-3 seasons now. What did you bring back ? Y’all paid thrice the price the philis did w Miami for an inferior pitcher. Hear that creaking noise ? That’s the door shutting
Big whiffa with a swing and a miss on this take.
A and S on the keyboard. You don’t get it do you
Matt Boyd is no where near an ace. Brewers are down peralta and another stud. We shall see
ryrockak—
Perhaps, but I think the Cubs rotation IS “soft,” but without Greene, the Reds are gonna have their own issues.
Hunter Greene is back in rotation already?
Every projection I’ve seen has the Reds under .500. Big Whiff says it’s “their year”… we shall see indeed.
Take that bet, the tigers to win the central and Mets to win the east
Just stinks they have to waste their time playing 162 and can’t legally be given the NLC crown on opening day.
giving 32 yr old bregman with his declining stats a 5 year/175mil deal is a huge overpay. he was worth that $ maybe 6-7 years ago
and as a result putting a strain on shaw’s development is a big mistake. he rly could have taken a huge leap like PCA. now he’s gotta learn half a dozen positions, and play off the bench
Increases his versatility and makes him more valuable at the deadline.
Bregman has an NTC by the way.
I wasn’t suggesting they trade Bergman. I was talking about Shaw
Oh.
slider
cubs keep drafting/developing nice prospects and then just keep trading em away in favor of vets. screams desperation
imagine a lineup with cam smith, caissie, and shaw, along with ballesteros, pca, busch… what a sweet young group that would have been…
Cam Smith hasn’t proven anything and Owen Caisse probably is going to be a 238 14hr guy sorry
Salem…do you mind on telling us what drafted/developed prospects you are talking about?
Oh…maybe you are talking about Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner? Maybe Miguel Amaya?
Find me a player that they’ve drafted/developed/traded that would help this contending team be better.
Alex Bregman, Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson (the vets you are speaking of) are all better than any player you can name.
The goal is to win not field a team of 23 year olds.
Lots of prospects take 2 or 3 years to prove something. They could both make the Cubs regret trading them. We will see.
Shaw needs more time off so he can attend more political rallies
theo enjoy your Prickster rally coming up, get there very early before the JB buffet Food disappears.
It wasnt a rally, it was actually a funeral but Theo takes no time off to troll the Cubs.
Breggy’s the reason Brown was a Cy Young finisher and potentially why Arrighetti will be successful in the majors.
Brown has only received CY votes when Bregman was not on the team.
Did you not notice Bregman joining the catcher and pitching coach on mound visits? Sure some infielders do that but Breggy was really active. One can say the sinker is the reason, but Bregman obviously helped coach Brown, and I would say possibly to that extent.
okay to be sure I understand correctly, when you said “Breggy’s the reason Brown was a Cy Young finisher” even though the only season he ever had any CY votes, you are still attributing his success in the award voting to Alex Bregman?
his best year so far was achieved with a complete Bregman absence, but “Breggy is the reason?” just want to be sure I understood your statement correctly.
It won’t hurt Shaw at all. He’s been doing great in the OF. Plus he can play 3B, SS and 2B and he started at 1B yesterday. So that can probably be an emergency bind that he starts at 1st if they don’t call up Jonathon Long in time for a gametime start. And I think Jonny Long should be the platoon that Justin Turner was for Busch last year
100%. Shaw has the athleticism to play all over the field, and that will get him plenty of ABs.
Long SHOULD be on the bench this season, but CC loves him some crappy veterans on the bench, so he won’t be.
I heard that on Locked on Brewers a week or two ago. Cubs should have been all in on Luis Rengifo but he wasn’t demanding a big enough contract and the Crew will now make him an All Star
Chaz Chomp! Cubs fan should learn the chomp, just in case. Chazzy Fizz!!! Will never forget what he did at Citizen Bank Park during the World Series.
Good for Boyd earning the opening day start. I’ve got a good feeling that Matthew Shawbrist is gonna have great success as the utility player for the Cubs.
Always that small bit of hesitancy to open any article about your team that lists players by name at this time of the year.
More often than not, it’s innocent news and progress, but I’m always ducking when I hit the open button hoping to dodge bone chips or sprained anything.
Congrats to Matthew Boyd! I’ve followed his career since he was a Blue Jays prospect; great to see him getting some traditional accolades.
The Cubs are never going to give Alcantara a real chance. They ought to release him before Opening Day and let him try to catch on with another team, and they might.
Carlson is a reasonable alternative, but I don’t understand why they added Conforto. But it looks like he and Carlson might both make the team.
Why would they release a guy with options??
Don’t give Alan a reason to push his agenda. Alcantara is not as good as Happ, nor Seiya, nor PCA. They are all on the team.
He may get his “chance” when Happ and Seiya hit free agency.
Alcantara should consider trying Japan or Korea.
Because he is clearly not in their plans in any case.
I don’t agree with the Bregman bashers, but I do think it would go better for Shaw if he had one position.
Shaw will have one position next year. If he’s competent there defensively, it’ll be a corner outfield spot.
Brick—-I’m gonna guess there’s probably about a 90% chance that the position is actually second base.
I think Hoerner will come back and Happ and Suzuki won’t. And if Hoerner doesn’t, Jefferson Rojas might be ready to take over at 2B.
That’s not intended as a knock on Shaw’s ability to play 2B.
If Alex Bregman has a typical “Bregman” season, the Cubs should run away with the division. I see the standings Cubs, Reds, Brewers, Pirates and Cardinals pulling up in last place. Pittsburgh might surprise and move up on that list, but the Cubs are the clear winner on paper.
I wouldn’t say run away, but they are the team to beat.
Placeholder for inevitable Brewers fan who must cluck cluck cluck and say how they always are so underrated and dismissed and disrespected yet they will be in first place again next year you will see.
Well, they did win the most games last year, so they may be in first place yet again.
The Cubs replaced Shaw’s 3.1 bWAR with Bregman’s 3.5 bWAR. And it only cost them $175 million.
The Cubs replaced their bench WAR of -1.5 WAR with Matt Shaws 3.1. Fixed it for you
I think the Cubs non roster outfielders of Carlson, Conforto and McCormick look better than Kansas City’s starting outfield.
McCormick will available to them soon.
Shaw learning 1B lets them keep Conforto along with either Carlson or McCormick. Conforto will let them break Ballesteros in slowly if he struggles, as well as let Suzuki DH a bit.