9-Year Veteran Free Agent Lefty Holds Showcase for 17 Teams

He underwent Tommy John surgery last July, and now less than 12 months later, nine-year veteran free agent left-hander Matthew Boyd is ready to get back on the mound. He threw for no less than 17 teams in a showcase yesterday.

Veteran lefty Matthew Boyd threw for 17 teams in California yesterday. Almost every contender could use a starter. Threw 92-93 mph.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 8, 2024

Per insider Jon Heyman, Boyd hit 92-93 mph on his fastball. The lefty was leading the Detroit Tigers' starting staff in wins, games started and strikeouts when he went down at the end of June 2023. He spent eight of his nine major league seasons in Detroit.

He's had some rough patches to be sure, with a career 4.94 ERA, but pretty much every team in baseball can use an experienced lefty for their pitching staff, hence the large turnout for his workout. Boyd has averaged 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings against only 2.9 walks.

2023 marked the third straight injury-shortened campaign for Boyd, including missing a significant amount of time following flexor tendon surgery in September of 2021 which mostly wiped out his 2022 season, and was then followed last June by the elbow injury and subsequent TJ surgery.

Boyd, 33, signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Tigers last season, but will likely be looking at a minimum-type contract this time around.