Exec’s hope: veteran starter will be a Guardian for…
Matthew Boyd was one of the best stories for the Cleveland Guardians during the 2024 season.
He wasn’t on a major league roster heading into spring training and was at home with his family rehabbing from Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2023 season.
The Guardians signed Boyd to a big-league deal at the end of June. He made his season debut in August and ended up being arguably Cleveland’s most reliable starting pitcher in the playoffs.
Boyd is an obvious candidate for the Guardians to pursue in free agency this winter, and Chris Antonetti seemed to hint at wanting him back in Cleveland during an interview with MLB Network.
“Matt had an extraordinary impact on our team, and I think we all were able to see what he was able to do on the field and pitch some really meaningful games for us,” said Antonetti. “But he was also one of those players that helped elevate our environment and had an impact on those players around him. So, Matt made a huge impact on us, and hopefully, he can continue to be a Guardian for years to come.”
Cleveland needs to address their starting pitching depth this offseason after finishing with a bottom-five starter ERA in the majors in 2024.
Perhaps Boyd won’t return to being the ace-looking pitcher he was at the end of last season. The 33-year-old finished with a 2.72 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP over eight regular season starts and a 0.77 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in three postseason starts (11.2 innings).
However, Boyd is still a reliable veteran pitcher who likes pitching with the Guardians and would offer some much-needed stability for a rotation with plenty of questions surrounding it.
Based on these comments, Antonetti appears to believe so too.
