You don’t usually see a Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners player teaming up for anything, let alone making the other better. Unless, of course, it’s someone chirping online on social media, of course. But the second the country calls, the rivalries in MLB take a back seat. And this is exactly what happened when Matthew Boyd dropped two big off-season surprises.

First, he will be sitting up for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. This is huge because this is the same guy who was the replacement player in college, a guy holding the spot for guys who were in the College World Series, and now he gets to wear the uniform and represent the country.

The second is that Cal Raleigh is catching his off-season bullpen. Yes, it’s Seattle’s Raleigh, and honestly, you couldn’t have scripted this better. But are you wondering how he got Raleigh to do that? You’d be surprised by the answer.

“He offered,” Matthew Boyd said to Foul Territory, with a huge smile on his face, and almost like it was the new normal for him. But the reality is that this was more of a need-of-the-hour scenario. The $29M Cubs player revealed that he usually threw to Reese McGuire, but with McGuire heading to warmer weather and Boyd juggling family travel, he needed someone, anyone, to catch him.

“Beggars can’t be choosers, man,” he laughed. “When Cal offered, I was like, ‘Heck yeah.”

But then came the best part. Boyd joked about how it might be Cal Raleigh returning a favour. “I threw my first fastball pitch last year, and he hit a homer, so it’s probably him returning the favour in the nicest way.”

Well, a big league rivalry turning to a fun bullpen season– that’s the beauty of the game. And as far as playing in the WBC goes, Boyd’s excitement was news, given that most American pitchers avoid the WBC. The timing, the extra workload, and maybe an injury potential scare them off. But Boyd had been waiting for his shot forever.

In fact, he was the one who pitched for participation.

“Any chance to represent our country is special,” he said. “This game has given me so many opportunities. I get to play a game for a living.”

From being a Tigers starter to a Mariners reliever, to being injured, rehabbing, cut, re-signed, and then finally a Cubs All-Star in 2025, it’s been decades of him clawing back. He will be in the Cubs’ rotation in 2026, and they will want him healthy, but even the team knows that this WBC moment is something he has earned.

Team USA got Matthew Boyd — but the Cubs got a new problem

Matthew Boyd pitching for Team USA is an awesome moment for him. Cubs fans should be genuinely happy for him, as he essentially built his career with them. But the reality is they should be a little concerned, too. Because, unintentionally, Boyd’s announcement highlights something that the Cubs cannot keep ignoring: they don’t have a true ace for 2026!

For Boyd is a big opportunity, and he has earned it. But he won’t be the only Cub to head to Team USA – so will his teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong. Now, Boyd was huge for the Cubs this season, given Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga were hurt. So for months, he was the anchor for the rotation. But his pitching in high-stress innings in March is where the alarm bells go off. Because while he was great, he also ran out of gas.

He posted a 4.54 ERA in August and a 5.31 ERA in September, after throwing more innings than he had since 2019. His strikeout numbers also dipped, and it was visible that the hitters started squaring him up more. We cannot ignore the fact that he will also be 34 years old when the 2026 season comes knocking.

So the idea that the Cubs can head into the year with him as a top option while also asking him to ramp up for WBC seems far too unrealistic. The Cubs– that’s why they cannot play a lowball game this off-season. In fact, the “we’re comfortable with Cade Horton’s timeline” messaging from the front office doesn’t match what the fans have witnessed over the course of time.

They need a real No. 1 stabiliser, the one who can let Boudy settle into the middle of the rotation where he truly belongs. A Joe Ryan trade could fix a lot of the problems instantly. At the very minimum, it could make Boyd’s WBC workload not much of an issue and give the Cubs the arm they have been missing.