Two Cubs Starting Pitchers Decline Contract Options, Enter Free Agency

[Matthew Nethercott]

According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, starters Clay Holmes and Matthew Boyd have both declined their contract option for the 2027 season and will become free agents.

Boyd signed a two-year deal with a mutual option prior to the 2025 season. With the Cubs in 2026, Boyd posted a 3.91 ERA in 126 2/3 innings of work with an 18.5% strikeout rate and a 7.5% walk rate.

Holmes came to the Cubs at the trade deadline from the Mets. He was not as successful in Chicago as he was in New York earlier this season, but he was just coming off the injured list after fracturing his fibula on a comebacker. With the Cubs, Holmes posted a 4.25 ERA in 48 2/3 innings of work with a 16.2% strikeout rate and an 11.8% walk rate. 

With Kevin Gausman and Shota Imanaga also free agents, the Cubs' pitching staff is undergoing a total makeover this winter.

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