The sun was shining last we saw Matthew Boyd. He was sitting in the Tigers dugout and smiling — as he always is — ahead of elbow surgery. His season was over, but perhaps his career was just beginning. As Boyd predicted, he came out better on the other side.
In the grey of winter, Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Wednesday he had "two main priorities" in his search for starting pitching this offseason: "Someone who could mentor (our) young pitchers" and "someone with significant upside who gives us a chance to get off to a fast start" next season. He checked both boxes with Boyd.
On top of Boyd's obvious leadership qualities, Harris said after the Tigers officially signed the veteran lefty to a one-year, $10 million deal, "Matt is not the same pitcher he was when he was here in Detroit." Harris and the Tigers believe his second tour of duty will be better than his first.
"He accomplished a lot of great things when he was here, but I think there are some elements of his game that have developed and improved since he left Detroit," said Harris. "I worked with him firsthand on that in San Francisco."
Harris brought Boyd to the Giants last offseason when he was the the club's GM. While Boyd never actually pitched for San Francisco due to a long rehab from elbow surgery, he made changes to his pitches, mechanics and overall "attack plan," Harris said, that showed up when he was traded to Seattle and dominated out of the Mariners' bullpen down the stretch.
Boyd will slide back into Detroit's rotation, while collaborating with pitching coaches Chris Fetter and Robin Lund to lengthen the strides he took last season. Harris said Boyd's success with the Mariners was the product of pounding the zone and missing bats. In a small sample size (13 1/3 relief innings), he significantly increased his fastball spin rate and unleashed a new changeup he had developed with the Giants as part of a four-pitch mix that helped him induce a career-high rate of weak contact, a career-high chase rate and a career-low batting average against (.116).
"If he can lock in that version of himself and keep the pressure on the hitters, he’s going to be really, really good this year. We saw that when we signed him in San Francisco and I think he’s gotten even better since," said Harris. "That’s what attracted us to bringing him to Detroit."
For Boyd, the attraction of returning was clear. He was hoping for a reunion from the moment he and the Tigers parted ways last offseason. Boyd, who turns 32 in February, still wears the Old English 'D' on his heart. Now he gets to wear it on his chest again.
"The things I said over the first seven years I was in Detroit about winning a championship, what it would mean to the city and the region, those don’t go away overnight just because you get released," he said. "Those are emotions that you’re tied to. And all those things still ring true. I understand what Detroit Tigers baseball means to Michigan, to Detroit, to the Tigers faithful that are spread out all around the country."
Beyond the sentiment, the Tigers offered Boyd the chance to resume his career as a starter -- "kind of a non-negotiable for me," he said -- and to continue his growth as a pitcher. He trusts Harris after working closely with him last season and said he was sold on the vision of coming to Detroit and getting better, Harris' primary pitch to free agents.
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"I know what I can do when I have the ball in my hand in the first inning," said Boyd. "I love the ability to dictate a game, to control the outcome. That’s our job as a starting pitcher, to impose your will on the hitter and to do it for nine innings. I love that opportunity, I love that pressure. I know I can do it and I know I can do it better than I have in the past.
"Like I said and like Scott said, I believe I’m just getting started. I know it."
On that sunny afternoon in September of 2021, Boyd reflected on a season that had started with so much promise. Before his elbow flared up, he had a career-low 3.44 ERA through 13 starts and said he was beginning "to realize the best baseball I’ve ever pitched." He said Wednesday "my best baseball is ahead of me."
"Excited to be back, grateful to be back," said Boyd. "Always hoped that I would have the chance to. I feel like there’s unfinished business here."
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