Detroit Tigers: Matthew Boyd continues to pitch well in 2021

The Detroit Tigers 12-24 record to start the 2021 season is rough, but the team is in a groove in the last handful of games. Veteran starting pitcher Matthew Boyd has turned things around greatly in 2021, having looked like the pitcher he was when he was garnering loads of trade interest.

Boyd has been dominant on the mound and made opponents look pretty silly so far in 2021 over his first seven starts. While he may not be 7-0 on the season, his 2-3 win-loss record is not indicative of how well he is pitching.

The Tigers may be able to ship off Boyd as the season continues if they feel this is the best option for the club. Frankly, it might be worth bringing in more prospects to keep the minor leagues stocked.

With the recent news of the Tigers parting ways with Franklin Perez, the Justin Verlander trade is looking like more of a lost cause than it did before. But, if the Tigers can flip Boyd for more prospects, maybe it could make up some ground.

It may seem like wishful thinking to then say one of the supposed prospects that would be acquired will work out, but frankly, any sort of additions to the farm system should be viewed as positive for the rebuild.

His hot start to 2021 might help him garner even more interest and buzz on the trade market, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out. The Tigers have not turned a corner yet, and holding on to someone like Boyd when he is hot just seems a bit unintelligent.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matthew Boyd has been absolutely stellar in 2021.

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As was mentioned above, Boyd has made seven starts on the season. The southpaw has a 1.94 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP.

Over 41.2 innings pitched, Boyd has allowed 30 hits, issued just nine walks, and struck out 29 opposing hitters.

His K/9 ratio is down a bit at 6.3 when in prior years it hovers closer to 8.0 with a jump to 11.6 in 2019.

He may not be setting the opposing hitters down on strikes all the time, but he is inducing weak contact and avoiding runs.

Run support would ultimately help Boyd greatly, but this is a Tigers team that struggles to get much of anything going in the batter’s box.

The Tigers have not seen Boyd pitch this well since the start of 2019 where it looked like he was going to win a Cy Young award.

Ultimately things would catch up to him, and Boyd would finish the year with an ERA north of 4.50 and allowing 39 home runs from the opposition. If the Tigers were able to move Boyd while he is hot, that might be the best thing.

A trade this early in the year might be too early, but Al Avila cannot afford to miss his opportunity once again. He could have pulled the trigger on a deal in 2019, but he continued to hold out, and it ultimately came back to bite him.

With Boyd pitching as well as he is, the Detroit Tigers need to evaluate the best option and have a plan if trade interest starts to pick up, so they do not miss the opportunity this time.