Brad Boxberger: Mutual option declined

The Cubs declined their part of a $5 million mutual option with Boxberger (forearm) on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Boxberger will get an $800,000 buyout as he moves into free agency. The veteran reliever logged only 5.1 major-league innings in the second half of the 2023 season due to nagging forearm issues, but he compiled a 3.15 ERA over 141 appearances with Milwaukee the prior two years and could be a bounce-back candidate for a team seeking bullpen help.