Holmes and Boyd Turn Down Cubs Options to Join King on Open Market

The starting-pitching market just got deeper. Clay Holmes and Matthew Boyd will reportedly join Michael King on the open market after turning down their respective player options with the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, giving contenders three more proven arms to chase. King set the tone earlier in the day, declining his $28 million option with San Diego to test free agency after a 12-10 season with a 3.21 ERA across 32 starts. Holmes and Boyd followed, betting on themselves in a market where reliable starting pitching is always the scarcest commodity. The timing matters. With the collective bargaining agreement set to expire on December 1 and a lockout widely expected, teams and players alike are racing the clock. Every option decision now carries extra weight, because a frozen market could leave free agents waiting months for a deal. For the Cubs, losing two starters in one day reshapes their winter. For the rest of baseball, it means the already-thin class behind Tarik Skubal just got a little more interesting.