Trade Season Starts For The Red Sox As Enrique Hernandez Gets Flipped Back To The Dodgers

 

    There is a week left before the MLB Trade Deadline (August 1) so it was about time that Red Sox chief baseball officer (the nerdiest title of all-time) Chaim Bloom logged off his computer for a minute and made an actual baseball trade. This afternoon's move was not a blockbuster by any means but at least it was something as Boston (53-47 overall) sent utilityman Kike Hernandez back to where he came from-the Dodgers (57-42)-for a pair of minor league pitchers (Justin Hagenman and Nick Robertson) and $2.5 million cash considerations. Hernandez played six seasons in LA before playing 2.5 seasons here in Boston. This reunion had been rumored since last week and with infielder Pablo Reyes activated yesterday plus shortstop Trevor Story expected to make his season debut shortly, Hernandez was the odd man out. 

    Besides a crazy heater during the 2021 postseason, Kike's Red Sox stay was pretty forgettable. He began this season as Boston's starting shortstop but that was a complete disaster as he made 14 errors and eventually lost the job in mid-June. He is a good defensive outfielder but there was not really a place for him there in this current Red Sox roster and his offense had also gone off of a cliff (.222/.279/.320) with six home runs and 31 RBIs. Red Sox manager and fellow Puerto Rican Alex Cora is a big fan of Hernandez but I am sure that Kike will be happy to return to LA where he still owns a home. 

    It is doubtful that he will get a ton of playing time with the loaded Dodgers who are still one of the top teams in baseball but that is where he won a World Series title in 2020 and there are still a bunch of teammates from that time that he is probably close to. Now we wait to see if Bloom will invest further in this up-and-down team with more substantial moves or if he stays with his usual middling trades like this. I certainly do not believe in this group who entered tonight's series opener vs. Atlanta (64-34 overall) 2.5 games behind Toronto (56-45 overall) for the third and final AL Wild Card. However, the third AL Wild Card winner will likely face the AL Central winner which figures to be the Twins (54-48 overall) or Guardians (49-51 overall)-two similarly mediocre teams to the Red Sox. 

    The bottom line is that this is a huge MLB Trade Deadline and regular season for Bloom who is in his fourth season here. If the Red Sox do not make the playoffs, he should be fired. Enough of running a big market team like they are the Rays (61-42 overall). The last time I checked, Tampa Bay has never won a World Series title so who cares that they can win a bunch of meaningless regular season games on a tiny budget. Boston should be in the mix for Shohei Ohtani and every other star player that is available via trade this next week or in free agency over the winter. If the past is any indication though, Bloom is too infatuated with his own prospects-many of whom will never amount to anything, that is just a fact in baseball-to make any notable transactions. Boston is one of the few good baseball markets left in the U.S. but with so little star power on the Red Sox, it has been very hard to get into the club for most of Bloom's tenure except for the (lucky?) 2021 campaign. We all deserve a better product on the field than this and a better baseball decisionmaker than him.

It Took Way Too Long But The C's & Jaylen Brown Finally Agreed To A Supermax Deal (5 Yrs, $304M)

 

    After nearly a month of waiting, the Celtics and their star swingman Jaylen Brown mercifully agreed to a supermax contract extension (5 years, $304 million) through the 2028-2029 season that temporarily makes him the highest paid player in NBA history. Putting aside that absurd amount of money-and keep in mind it's not my money or your money-do not get too hung up on him being the richest guy since it will not last for long. When you are in a market like Boston, free agents in basketball are not exactly falling over themselves to come here anymore so when there is a very talented younger guy on your current roster (warts and all), you have to do your best to retain him. Granted, superstar swingman Jayson Tatum is better than Brown-any argument about that ended in the 2023 playoffs-but they are still one of the best duos in the league, last postseason not withstanding. 

    Brown is a two-time All-Star and he is coming off the best regular season in his career when he averaged 26.6 points per game which led to him being named to the All-NBA second team for the first time (which enabled him to be eligible for the supermax). Jaylen's awful performance in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals vs. Miami two months ago left a poor taste in all of our mouths but he is still only 26 years old even though he has played seven seasons with the C's (drafted No. 3 overall in 2016 after one season at Cal). Boston will never be Miami or Los Angeles which for many reasons are the preferred type of destinations for most NBA stars these days. It sucks but that is the reality that we are left to deal with. 

    Tatum and Brown have an interesting relationship since they are not best friends by any means but they do not seem to hate each other either. More importantly, they play pretty similar positions and styles of games so can Boston win a championship with them as their top two players? That is what we have to bank on since what is the better (and more realistic) option? The Celts have made the playoffs in every year of Brown's career including the NBA Finals in 2022 and three Eastern Conference Finals so an optimist would say that they are knocking on the door of a title while a pessimist worries that they could be basketball's version of the Buffalo Bills in the 90s. 

    I have always been a major Brown fan for what he stood for off the court and the important work that he does there (minus the wacko Covid beliefs and following Kyrie Irving's madness) so I am happy that at least he will be here for the next few seasons. It would be silly to trade him after one poor postseason since Boston would never get the proper return. If he can just improve his terrible handle a little bit, Brown can be an even better player. There is no doubt that Tatum's ceiling is higher but every great NBA player needs a sidekick (just ask Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray on the Nuggets) and in a perfect world, Brown will smartly accept that role and realize that he and Tatum need each other if a title(s) is what they care about most at the end of the day.

After Another Summer Of Uncertainty, Patrice Bergeron Officially Retires From The B's & The NHL

 

    One of the greatest players in Bruins history and an all but certain future Hockey Hall of Famer retired today. Boston's captain and first line center Patrice Bergeron made it official after 19 seasons wearing the spoked B. He will leave an enormous legacy both in terms of his brilliant play on the ice where he won a Stanley Cup in 2011, two gold medals with Team Canada and six Selke Trophies (given to the league's top defensive forward) and off the ice where he was a consummate pro when it came to charity work and all the things that he did for the community that went above and beyond the norm. In a sport that is filled with selfless, team-first guys, he took it to another level. They say you should not meet your idols because you will be disappointed but it is hard to remember a time when Bergy said or did the wrong thing, in a hockey game or in the real world. For that and many reasons, he is sure to leave a void that is impossible for the B's to ultimately fill. 

    If you feel like you grew up with Patrice, you did if you are in a certain age bracket (he turned 38 yesterday). He was a second round draft pick in 2003 (45th overall) who barely played in the minors before he appeared in 71 games with Boston that season. In 1294 career regular season games, he piled up 427 goals, 613 assists and he was plus-289 with 131 power play goals, 195 power play assists, 22 shorthanded goals, 26 shorthanded assists, 81 game-winning goals and nine overtime goals in addition to winning 57.9% of his face-offs. When you look back at his career, you will probably remember his postseason heroics most fondly: 50 goals, 78 assists and plus-42 with 17 power play goals, 21 power play assists, three shorthanded goals, a shorthanded assist, 10 game-winning goals and four overtime goals (including famously in Game 7 vs. Toronto in the 2013 first round) in 170 playoff games.

    In both the short term and the long term, there are many issues that the B's will need to resolve. Yes, they have plenty of talent left on the roster that set the NHL record for regular points last season (then choked in the first round of the playoffs vs. Florida) but who will be their next captain? For my money, I hope that Bergy's best friend and left wing Brad Marchand is the next captain of the team based on his winning experience and sneaky leadership ability that has developed over the years. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy would also be a fine pick if they wanted someone younger and that figures to be around for much longer than Marchy. It is doubtful that anybody else on the Bruins garners the same universal respect that Bergeron did from coaches, teammates, support staff, front office, the media and fans along with other players and coaches from around the league. 

    After Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque, you could argue that Patrice is the third best Bruin of all-time which is something to say since the franchise has such a long and proud history. You better believe that the team will retire his #37 jersey ASAP into the cramped TD Garden rafters. Furthermore, he figures to be a first ballot Hockey Hall of Famer in Toronto. He is one of those rare players that we will remember forever and talk about in a positive light for as long as we are on this Earth. There are very few people let alone superstar pro athletes that are wired like Patrice Bergeron these days. He is a special guy along with a phenomenal player and considering all the scary injuries that he suffered during his career (multiple concussions), I am happy that he got to go out on his own terms. Other than retiring on top with a Cup, that is really all he could ask for after an incredible career spent solely with one Original Six club-another thing that rarely occurs anymore.

C's Let Another Big Personality Leave As Grant Williams Goes To Dallas In A Sign-And-Trade

 

    If you watched the Celtics over these past few seasons, the amount of endless talking to the referees, opponents and coaches was frankly exhausting. After shipping Marcus Smart-who was the worst offender of that nonsense-to Memphis a few weeks back, Boston followed that up by having mouthy forward Grant Williams go to the Mavericks in a three-team sign-and-trade deal which will give the restricted free agent what he wanted: a four-year deal worth $53 million. San Antonio receives forward Reggie Bullock from Dallas as well as an unprotected first-round pick swap in 2030 with the Mavericks. Dallas and the Celts will both receive two second-round picks and Boston also gets a $6.2 million trade exception. 

    This deal took awhile to come together since from all that we heard-Boston wanting a first-round pick for Williams-never seemed to materialize. The former first-round pick (22nd overall) of the Celtics in 2019 is a solid role player who will likely never be more than that in the NBA. His scoring and rebounding averages went up all four years in Boston though, culminating with 8.1 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game in 2022-23. He is also a good three-point shooter (37.9% for his career with a high of 41.1% in the 2021-22 season). Head coach Joe Mazzulla began this past postseason by burying Grant which was a mistake since he had been a valuable part of head coach Ime Udoka's rotation the previous season when they reached the NBA Finals with Williams averaging 8.6 points per game in the playoffs. 

    I appreciated Williams' toughness, he was very dependable-appearing in 77 regular season games then 79 regular season games in the past two seasons-and he was not afraid to take on much bigger guys. He will always be remembered for talking trash to Heat star Jimmy Butler in the Eastern Conference Finals a few months ago which did not end so well but at least he showed a pulse which could not be said for most of his teammates. With that said, like Smart this seemed to be another Celtic who was completely delusional as to how important he truly was to the team. Couple that with the non-stop talking (and you can only imagine what he was like in the locker room, on the planes, buses, etc) and you can see how the Celts were probably ready to move on from him.

    This also shows (as if there was any remaining doubt), that Boston is putting all the onus on its two stars-Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown-to take over the main leadership roles on this team moving forward. Subtracting Smart and Williams from the equation means that there will be two less loud voices and big personalities to have to constantly deal with. Additionally, this frees up some money that can hopefully go towards that infamous supermax extension that Brown is eligible for but has not gotten yet from the C's. We wish Grant well in Dallas, Luka Doncic should be awesome to play with but good luck dealing with Kyrie Irving. 

The Bruins' Start To Free Agency This Weekend Has Been Underwhelming To Say The Least

 

    If you were expecting fireworks (sorry for the tired holiday cliche-it is July 3rd you know!) from the Bruins this weekend, you have no doubt been very disappointed as they entered free agency with a whisper rather than a loud pop. We knew that GM Don Sweeney did not have much money to spend-even after the Taylor Hall trade earlier in the week-but it was a tough pill to swallow to see the three valuable guys that they obtained before the trade deadline last season all quickly end up elsewhere. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov (2 years, $7.75 million AAV) signed with Carolina (no surprise since we knew the Russian would go to the highest bidder no questions asked), winger Garnet Hathaway is now a Flyer (2 years, $4.78 million) and the real kick in the teeth came tonight as word came out that winger Tyler Bertuzzi was going to the Maple Leafs on a very affordable one-year deal for $5.5 million. The other notable Bruin to depart was defenseman Connor Clifton who signed a three-year deal worth $10 million with Buffalo. However, for an undrafted guy from Quinnipiac coming off of a career season, we expected that Cliffy would cash in so good for him and his family.

    Losing Bertuzzi to a division rival is especially frustrating since you had to believe that Hall's trade was likely meant to clear some cap space specifically to try to bring back Tyler. I guess not and no matter if Sweeney or Bertuzzi's agent screwed this up, the bottom line is that he obviously panicked and signed a deal that the B's should have been able to offer before. I'm assuming that they had already moved on and committed elsewhere when Bertuzzi's camp might have come crawling back. Ugh. So who has Boston signed to replace these guys? Well get ready to take a time machine back five to ten years and Sweeney would be having a hell of a time. Of the five main players that the Bruins have signed, the three that you have all heard of are former B's left wing Milan Lucic, former BU/Team USA defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and former UNH star winger James van Riemsdyk. Additionally, former BC forward Patrick Brown (2 years, $800,000 AAV which is the veteran minimum) and forward Morgan Geekie (2 years, $2 million AAV) are the other guys that will join the Bruins next season. 

    35-year-old Looch (who has 3 daughters!) needs no introduction if you are reading this and rumors of him signing with his beloved Boston started to percolate last week. On a one-year deal worth $1 million plus up to $500,000 in performance based incentives, it's hard to dislike Milan's return where he can hopefully anchor the fourth line and bring some toughness along with an edge that the Bruins have sorely lacked in recent years. 34-year-old Shattenkirk-who will make $1.05 million in one season here-used to be one of the best puck-moving defenseman in the league but Boston will be his seventh club after stops in Anaheim, Tampa, NY (Rangers), Washington, St. Louis and Colorado. Still, having him replace Clifton on the third defensive pairing would be ideal for a guy with a boatload of experience (891 career NHL games) not to mention talent-he was the 14th overall pick in the 2007 Draft-and plenty of points (97 goals and 363 assists). Finally, JVR also is here for peanuts (1 year, $1 million) and you will remember him mostly for his successful time as a Flyer, not so much as a Leaf. He is 34 as well and was the second overall pick of that 2007 Draft. He has had a very productive NHL career with 591 points (300 goals, 291 assists) in 940 games. 

    It is easy to see Sweeney's thinking with these moves; he could not get any top players without making a real hockey trade so why not fill in any roster and lineup holes with decorated veterans that he and B's head coach Jim Montgomery can trust from Day 1? At least on paper-which is all we have in early July-I do not know how the totality of these additions and subtractions makes Boston a better team. Granted, hockey is the ultimate chemistry sport so maybe bringing back Lucic's mojo will spark his former teammates like left wing Brad Marchand and right wing David Pastrnak. Last week, Cam Neely admitted that the team is operating like both of their ancient centers David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron won't be coming back next season but would it kill either of those guys just to make a decision ASAP? This is beginning to get those gross Brett Favre in Green Bay vibes as I cannot stomach another summer of waiting to hear what these guys are going to do. Truth be told, Krejci looked pretty cooked in his return to the Bruins last season so if he decides to retire and/or go back to playing in his native Czech Republic, oh well. Bergy is the trickier one because he can still compete at a high level-as evidenced by his record sixth Selke Trophy that he won last week-but this is getting ridiculous. I can only surmise that behind the scenes, the front office, coaches and players already know his decision, otherwise this does everyone a complete disservice. Rant over.

Taylor Hall Is Sent To Chicago So Boston Can Get Some Salary Cap Relief Before Free Agency Starts

 

    With very little money left available under the salary cap, the Bruins needed to make some moves to clear some space that they hopefully can use on key free agents like winger Tyler Bertuzzi. Boston got what is sure to be a very busy week started this afternoon-with the NHL Awards show, the NHL Draft and NHL free agency all happening-by trading left wing Taylor Hall along with the rights to impending unrestricted free agent left wing Nick Foligno to the Blackhawks. In exchange, the B's received restricted free agent defensemen Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula who I had never heard of before now and truthfully, you have no clue who they are either. This was a good old fashioned salary dump plain and simple and hey maybe one of those guys gives Boston some quality depth in Providence (AHL) which they have lacked for years.

    After playing in Black and Gold for parts of three seasons, it is safe to say that Hall's time here was not all that memorable hence why it is fine to say goodbye to him at this juncture. There is a reason why Chicago will be the former No. 1 overall pick in 2010's sixth NHL club. He perhaps surprisingly proved to be a team-first guy with the Bruins but clearly, wins for the most part have not been a big aspect of his career and save for his random one-off Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) season in 2017-18 with the Devils, he has never really lived up to the hype and the eye-popping skills that show up from time to time. In 158 career regular season games with Boston, Hall had 44 goals, 67 assists and he was plus-37 with 12 power play goals. Those are perfectly respectable numbers but in what should be the prime of his career at age 31, he was relegated to the third line last season with the Bruins which is just not good enough no matter how you spin it. If he had showed more consistency, there is no doubt that they would have kept him since his cap hit for the next two years is only six million dollars for each season. 

    Ironically, Hall was one of Boston's few players that really showed up in their very depressing first round exit vs. Florida a few months ago where they lost in seven games after leading the series 3-1. Taylor had eight points (5 goals, 3 assists) against the Panthers and 17 overall (10 goals, 7 assists) in 25 career playoff games for the Spoked B. Foligno was obviously just a throw in to this deal but he might actually bring a little something to the rebuilding Blackhawks as well if they can sign him. He looked washed up in his first season as a Bruin but bounced back last year with twice as many points (26) on 10 goals and 16 assists. The former Blue Jackets captain is a great leader-at least that is what NESN's "Behind The B" has led us to believe-and if he is still interested in playing, he should be helpful for whatever time he spends in Chicago which will soon have Canadian phenom center Connor Bedard with the No. 1 overall pick on Wednesday. 

    One last gut punch for the 2022-23 Bruins occurred tonight in Nashville at the NHL Awards as Boston came away with not one, not two but three major awards as expected. Center Patrice Bergeron extended his league record by winning a sixth Selke Trophy while goaltender Linus Ullmark won his first Vezina Trophy and head coach Jim Montgomery captured the Jack Adams Award in his first year in charge of Boston. Whatever became of their former head coach Bruce Cassidy anyway? Only the Bruins could pull off that nearly impossible feat and yet not advance out of the first round in that particular postseason. Ugh, they will never have a more loaded team than that as Ullmark and right wing David Pastrnak (runner-up to Connor McDavid for the Hart Trophy) were both named to the NHL's First Team while defenseman Hampus Lindholm (remember him?) was on the NHL's Second Team. No matter who is on the roster next season, Boston will still be one of the favorites to win their first Stanley Cup since 2011 but the PTSD caused from last season is sure to last for a very long time with true Bruins fans. 

UPDATE 6/27/23: This morning, Chicago signed Foligno to a one-year deal worth $4 million dollars. It turns out that being Bedard's babysitter is not such a bad life as you try to hang on in the NHL.

C's Trade Marcus Smart To Grizzlies & Get Kristaps Porzingis From Wizards In Three Team Deal

 

        It has been a rather bizarre few days for the Boston Celtics but with the 2023 NBA Draft just completed a few hours ago, we can officially say that guard Marcus Smart is now on the Memphis Grizzlies while power forward/center Kristaps Porzingis is a Celtic. I won't bore you with all the details of the three-way (hey now!) deal between Boston, Memphis and Washington but the most important part is that the longest tenured Celtic is out of here, the former Knicks All-Star/savior Porzingis comes to his fourth NBA team (NY, Dallas, Washington & Boston) and then point guard Tyus Jones goes from Memphis to Washington along with forwards Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala who will join him in DC from Boston. On Wednesday, it looked like another Celtics guard-Malcolm Brogdon-would be included instead of Smart in a three-way deal involving the Clippers and not the Grizzlies to acquire Porzingis but it fell apart at the last moment (the teams faced a midnight deadline for Kristaps to opt-in to his player option for next season) since Brogdon's forearm apparently is in rough shape. Brad Stevens stuck with it though and ended up making a huge move that his club so desperately needed. 

    After going to five of the last seven Eastern Conference Finals (but only winning one of them!), it was clear that the C's needed a real shake up in terms of its roster. Star wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both very good but something always seemed to trip up Boston before they could get that elusive first NBA title since 2008. For his Celtics career, Smart averaged 10.6 points per game, 4.6 assists per game and 1.6 steals per game. Part of why he became so overrated was that certain local announcers and media members would focus on what they called "winning plays," ignoring the fact that he also did a bunch of dumb stuff that constantly hurt his team both on and off the court. Along with being the longest tenured Celtic-he was the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft-Smart was the unofficial captain of the team and easily the most polarizing Boston athlete this side of former Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask. 

    Much like the sad state of politics in the United States these days, Celtics fans either loved Smart or hated him, there was no in between. Always a solid defensive player (he was on the All-Defensive first team three times), Smart was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. For whatever reason (no Ime Udoka?), the Celts lost their way defensively this past season with Joe Mazzulla in his first year as head coach. Additionally, Smart's overinflated sense of self became comical over the last few years as he talked down to both Tatum & Brown publicly along with Mazzulla which while warranted is still a no-no. He also flops incessantly and whines constantly to the refs which really starts to wear on you when you have to watch it over and over again for nine years. Oh and he was never a great 3-point shooter to begin with but somehow the ball would always seem to find him late in games and he has the confidence of Stephen Curry so he did not hesitate to let it fly.  

    Straight out of Latvia, Porzingis took the league by storm shortly after being drafted fourth overall in 2015 by New York. He was an All-Star in 2018-ironically his last season as a Knick-but not surprisingly for a guy that is 7-foot-3 and only 240 pounds, he has battled numerous injuries since then that have caused him to bounce around to a few other middling clubs. There is no question that coming to Boston should motivate him immensely since he has only appeared in 10 career NBA playoff games (all with Dallas). For his NBA career, Kristaps has averaged 19.6 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game and 1.8 blocks per game. Especially under Mazzulla, Boston became way too reliant on the 3-pointer and while Porzingis shoots plenty of 3s, at least he makes them at a better clip (36%) than Smart (32%). His health is by far the biggest question mark although he did appear in 65 games last season with the Wizards-his most since his second year as a Knick. He also averaged 23.2 points per game in 2022-23 which was a new career-high. 

    The bottom line is that Porzingis gives Tatum and Brown another guy that can carry the load offensively when either of them has a bad game or series (see Tatum in the 2022 NBA Finals or Brown in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals). The term Big 3 is so played out these days in basketball but at least on paper, this is by far the best running mate that they have had since they were too young when Kyrie Irving (yuck!) was here and Kemba Walker was about to go off a cliff when he was a Celtic. Kristaps will turn 28 in August so theoretically, he should be in his prime. After Smart gets over the shock of going to a new team, he will quickly realize that he is lucky to be in Memphis rather than on some rebuilding crap team like Washington. With Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant suspended for the first 25 games of the season, Smart will be their starting point guard to begin the year on what was one of the best teams in the Western Conference last season. 

    This could be the rare trade that truly helps both teams. Porzingis gives the Celtics a uniquely skilled player that is much different from their other big guys-the ancient Al Horford and an injury-prone Robert Williams. Smart brings toughness and playoff experience to a Grizzlies team that showed this past postseason that they were not quite ready for prime time yet. Since they lost Game 7 to Miami, Boston had made its coaching staff way stronger by hiring Sam Cassell, Charles Lee, Amile Jefferson (Tatum's buddy from Duke) and former Celtics great Phil Pressey to be assistant coaches. However, those moves mean very little when they are compared to getting Kristaps and saying goodbye to their loudest/most divisive voice in Smart. We wish Marcus well in Memphis but it was time to make a real change and credit to Stevens for having the guts to get it done.