There’s still more than two months to go before MLB’s trade deadline, but it’s not soon to think about what approach the Red Sox might take.
If the Red Sox find themselves out of contention in July, closer Kenley Jansen will likely be one of the pieces made available at the trade deadline
In each of the last two years, the Red Sox seemed to be stuck in neutral, unsure of whether to buy or sell. Some of that indecision was sparked by being on the periphery of the wild card race and some by ownership’s mixed messaging. (It should be noted that the Christian Vazquez trade in 2022, while controversial at the time, has proved to be a steal, with the Sox netting Wilyer Abreu).
A lot can happen over the next 60 or so games. But if they determine that they’re not properly positioned to add, the Red Sox could have a number of players who would bring plenty of interest, including closer Kenley Jansen, set-up man Chris Martin, starter Nick Pivetta and outfielder Tyler O’Neill. Each one is headed for free agency, and only Pivetta and O’Neill might be under consideration to get re-signed by the organization.
A late July auction might be a tough move publicly, since it would signal to some how little progress has been made in the team’s on-going rebuild. A sell-off would also confirm a third straight season without reaching the postseason. But given the demand for pitching at the deadline, the three arms alone could generate a handful of pretty good prospects and better serve the team going forward.
In particular, an October-tested duo like Jansen and Martin could invite a bidding war among contenders.
No matter what path is taken, let’s hope that is executed with a little more clarity and sense of purpose than the last few seasons.
* In the end, the Bruins didn’t have enough explosiveness or pure scoring ability up front to compete against a quality team in the post-season. Changes will be made. I’m guessing that Jim Montgomery’s job is safe for now, though the seven (!!) too-man-men penalties in the postseason do not reflect well on him. Of the eight UFAs (unrestricted free agents), only Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen are worth considering, and given his trademark streakiness, the Bruins should proceed with caution before committing long-term to DeBrusk.
Linus Ullmark, who was nearly dealt at the trade deadline before invoking his no-movement clause, is as good as gone, now that Jeremy Swayman has claimed the top job. Priority No. 1 should be finding a forward who can score in traffic, giving them an alternative to David Pastrnak. In particular, a top-six center — preferably, one who can win key faceoff — would be welcome, allowing Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha to drop down to second- and third-line duty.
The Bruins have cap space to make these additions, but they’ll have to be aggressive as this isn’t a deep free agent class, meaning they may need to trade to fill needs. Hampus Lindholm’s value is depressed following another poor postseason, but the B’s should be open to moving him and getting out from underneath his salary.
* The solemnity with which ESPN treated Scottie Scheffler’s arrest was quite something, like it was some kind of full-blown international incident. In reality, it was an example of an entitled athlete who thought the rules didn’t apply to him. Second-place award goes to Louisville residents, who hours after a volunteer was struck and killed, thought the biggest crisis of the day was the city had endangered its chances of ever hosting a PGA event again.
* Harrison Butker, wide right. Like, really wide right.
Butker is obviously entitled to his own opinions and is free to express them as he sees fit. But he needs work on his timing, to say the least. Graduating women don’t need to be told that they’ve been the victims of a “diabolical” lie for pursuing a college degree as they line up to receive their college degrees. And while being a stay-at-home mom is among the noblest of callings, not every woman has the luxury of having a husband who earning $20.3 million over five years to help ease the economic burden.
* The degree to which some radio personalities believe you’re riveted by tales of their petty, personal off-air squabbles never ceases to amaze me.
* Neither the New York Knicks nor the Indiana Pacers represent much of a compelling matchup for the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. I would expect to see a lot of highlight footage of either Bernard King or Reggie Miller on your TV screen in the coming weeks.
* It’s very, very early in the process, but not surprisingly, the job opening to become the Bruins’ next play-by-play voice on NESN is attracting a lot of interest. A source close to the process says the Bruins will have input into the winnowing down process, and ultimately, will need to sign off on the choice. Already, some names who have done significant hockey work for national networks are known to have signaled a desire to be considered.
* Surely there are days when Craig Breslow wonders, if only for a minute or two, whether he jumped the gun in locking up Brayan Bello and Ceddanne Rafaela a combined $105 million.
* The NFL values star appeal when it comes to assigning teams to prime-time games. That’s why the Patriots have the minimum number of marquee appearances: one, a Thursday night date with the Jets. The Patriots’ strength is their defense, but even there, they lack a big-name player on that side of the ball. Networks want offensive stars, and for now, the Pats are sorely lacking there.
* The NHL had better find a solution to all of the goaltender interference calls that are taking place in the postseason. The calls are too subjective and worst of all, time-consuming. For now, the officials in the Situation Room seem to have made a pact that no on-ice call will be overturned. If that’s the case, why have the replay challenge system in the first place?
* LeBron James attracts a lot of criticism, though his philanthropy often goes unrecognized and under-appreciated. But an active player, eliminated from the postseason and seated courtside at an NBA playoff game between two other teams, was, well, weird.
* In case you had any question about which sport is the real national pastime, consider: Roku recently paid MLB an average of $10 million per season for the right to show weekly“Sunday Leadoff” games with a noon start while Netflix will gladly fork over $75 million per game for some Christmas day NFL football.
