Cubs connected to $29 million trade that could only mean one thing

The Chicago Cubs may have completed a walk-off win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, but that doesn’t change the fact that their season has completely gone off the rails.

Back on May 8, the Cubs were sitting at 27-12 following their second 10-game winning streak of the year. Fast forward to now, and Chicago is just 34-31, having lost 19 of its last 26 games.

A plethora of issues have plagued the Cubs over the last month. The starting pitching has been terrible, the offense has been inconsistent and the bullpen has been unreliable. But with the Cubs having entered the campaign with playoff aspirations, they are widely viewed as buyers heading into the MLB trade deadline.

But could Chicago actually do what most would have considered unthinkable a couple of months ago and sell?

Brian Kelder of North Side Baseball is not completely discounting the possibility, and he pitched a rather intriguing trade candidate for the Cubs between now and Aug. 3: Matthew Boyd.

The Chicago Cubs could consider trading Matthew Boyd

Boyd hasn’t gotten the chance to pitch all that much this season thanks to a freak meniscus injury he suffered while playing with his son last month.

The left-hander has made five starts in 2026, posting a 6.00 ERA while allowing 25 hits and racking up 31 strikeouts over 24 innings of work. His 2.35 FIP indicates he was getting pretty unlucky, but basically everything has gone wrong for Chicago this year, so who knows?

Kelder feels that the Cubs could look to move Boyd, who is in the final year of a two-year, $29 million contract he signed with the club in December 2024.

“Boyd’s contract ends this season and the team acquiring him would only be on the hook for part of his $14.5-million salary. Boyd would probably welcome a chance to pitch in meaningful games (remember, this is the Dark Timeline for the Cubs, not for everyone) to enhance his earning potential next offseason. Boyd would be the first domino to fall in a series of events,” Kelder wrote.

Boyd had a terrific debut campaign in Chicago last season, logging a 3.21 ERA and 1.091 WHIP en route to making his first All-Star appearance. The 35-year-old owns a lifetime 4.61 ERA since entering the big leagues in 2015 and has spent time several other teams throughout his big-league journey.

Should the Cubs decide to sell, Boyd could ultimately serve as an attractive mid-level arm for a contender.

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