* You can’t get something for nothing.
If the Red Sox are going to make a sizable deal during the Winter Meetings, they’re going to have to sacrifice something of value on their end.
While everybody fixates on ownership’s willingness (or unwillingness) to spend big on free agents, the reality is that the Red Sox are probably going to end up having to trade for at least one of the two starting pitchers they need. And that doesn’t begin to take into account their need for an upgrade at second base, or a righthanded bat to balance out the middle of their lineup.
We know, too, that while the team’s prospect capital is deeper than it has been in years, and that new chief baseball officer Craig Breslow might be more willing to part with a few talented minor leaguers because he didn’t draft and develop them, there’s also this to consider: there’s only so many prospects any organization can afford to move before the system is strip-mined.
That means trades could require the Red Sox to deal from their major league roster. The three most likely to be included in a trade? I’d list Jarren Duran, Alex Verdugo and Tanner Houck.
Duran’s value will never be higher after a breakthrough season in 2023, but the Red Sox have not one but two potential replacements for him in the system: Ceddanne Rafaela and Roman Anthony. That makes Duran expendable.
Verdugo’s availability should surprise no one. The Red Sox haven’t moved to extend him, he’s a free agent after 2024 and it’s likely Alex Cora has had his fill.
Finally, there’s Houck, who offers four years of remaining control, versatility and the promise of a high ceiling. But to date, Houck hasn’t distinguished himself here, and thanks to the presence of Garrett Whitlock, Kutter Crawford and Nick Pivetta, the Red Sox have other hard-throwing righthanded swingmen already on the staff.
* There was a certain irony in the Patriots getting flexed out of their Mahomes-Kelce-Swift Monday night game later this month. Owner Robert Kraft, who heads the NFL’s broadcast committee, had been pushing for more flexibility for the networks, helping them get out from under bad late-season matchups in order to preserve their ratings. Now, a Monday night has been flexed and, wouldn’t you know it, it involved Kraft’s Patriots.
File under: Be careful what you wish for…
* Consider this Jim Montgomery’s first true regular season test since he was hired here. His Bruins dominated last year before their shocking first-round exit and never encountered much adversity along the way.
Now, tough times are here. Before the schedule-maker delivered the sacrificial San Jose Sharks Thursday, the Bruins had lost three straight in regulation, something they never experienced once last season. Moreover, it certainly seemed like that was some unhappiness on the part of Jeremy Swayman after getting pulled following two goals allowed in Columbus.
Montgomery directed his team brilliantly until the postseason began. Watching how he pulls the B’s out of the current nosedive should be instructive for all involved.
* Hope Bruins fans recognize that, whether it’s TV or radio, they’re listening to two of the absolute best color analysts in hockey. NESN’s Andy Brickley and The Sports Hub’s Bob Beers are both superb, providing context, expertise and informed objectivity to the job.
* I’m trying to decide which was more embarrassing for Sports Illustrated: the discovery that they had run AI-generated stories written by non-existent writers, or the fact they named Deion Sanders Sportsman of the Year.
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The problem with the former should be obvious. As for the latter, what was it that Sanders did to be worthy of a once-prestigious honor? Losing eight of the last nine games? Running off tens of players from scholarships? Being wildly boastful for no apparent reason?
* Last Tuesday’s game between the Celtics and Chicago Bulls is what the NBA gets for A) devising their inane in-season tournament and B) including point differential as a tie-breaker.
I’m not worried about anyone’s feelings getting hurt because one team is trying to run it up on the other to better position themselves in the tournament. But sitting though a foul-fest in a game that was already decided by the start of the fourth quarter doesn’t qualify as entertainment.
* The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of the Red Sox trading for Brandon Drury to solve their second base need. He would be the perfect bridge to whatever the team has in mind (Nick Yorke? Marcello Mayer?) for the position in 2025, and if the Sox are willing to take the full value ($8.5 million) of the contract off the Los Angeles Angels’ hands, he’s not likely to cost much in return.
* There’s a certain undeniable symmetry to the fact that, in what will almost certainly be Bill Belichick’s final game as HC of the NEP on Jan. 7, the opponent will be the New York Jets.
* The NHL had better start cracking down on some of the stick work we’re seeing on a regular basis, with players freely swinging away. It would be nice if the NHLPA would step up, and in an effort to protect its constituents from one another, demand the league institute a standard minimum penalty for swinging a stick above the shoulders. Something like 20 games would get everyone’s attention.
I can’t be the only one thinking of Wayne Maki-Ted Green when these things get ugly.
* RIP, Pac-12. But what a farewell Friday night between Washington and Oregon.
* Sometimes, Joe Mazzulla can come off as thin-skinned in press conference settings, sounding unnecessarily defensive in answering otherwise innocuous questions. But good for him for his response to a query about how much he values having friendly relationships with opposing coaches.
“How can I say this nicely? I don’t care,” Mazzulla said.
There’s a little too much conviviality in pro sports, to the point where some well-intended bonhomie turns into grab-assery. Points to Mazzulla for valuing competition over collegiality.
