Cubs signing Matthew Boyd affects Pirates in free agency more than fans might think

A pair of coveted southpaws came off the market in a span of 24 hours this week, as starter Matthew Boyd and reliever Aroldis Chapman each found new homes in free agency. That's far from ideal news for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who now have just one lefty reliever on their 40-man roster for 2025.

Now, to be fair, the Pirates were never expected to bring Chapman back on a new free agent deal. Nor were they ever considered favorites to land Boyd; they don't need starting pitching, anyway. But the Boyd signing in particular affects the Pirates in more ways than one might think.

First of all, Boyd's new contract is with the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh's National League Central Division rival. It's never fun to see division rivals making significant moves in free agency, especially when your team has done, well, nothing.

Cubs signing Matthew Boyd affects Pirates in free agency more than fans might think

The Pirates still need left-handed pitching, specifically in their bullpen. They already lost Chapman and Jalen Beeks in free agency, and they're now down to Joey Wentz as their only lefty reliever on the 40-man roster for 2025. As the hot stove continues to get hotter, those dominoes will only continue to fall, and the urgency to land another southpaw will only increase for Pittsburgh.

Again, the Pirates weren't necessarily looking to add starters to their rotation; in fact, they could even be looking to move some. Considering Boyd – an injury-prone lefty entering his age-34 season – still managed to land a two-year, $29 million deal, that could bode very well for the market value of some of Pittsburgh's back-of-the rotation starters like Bailey Falter or Luis Ortiz.

This could be good news for the Pirates if they were to, say, try to trade one of their arms for a bat (or multiple bats). If $14.5 million annually is now the going rate for an aging back-of-the rotation starter, Pittsburgh should absolutely be shopping some of their starting pitchers – and demanding some serious firepower in return.

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