👋 Good morning!
When I said yesterday that I didn’t expect the Blackhawks to do much when free agency opened, I’ll admit I thought they’d at least do something.
Instead, their big move was bringing back depth forward Sam Lafferty for a third stint with the club – essentially nothing.
Sure, the Hawks didn’t dish out a bad contract, but they didn’t get Connor Bedard any help, either, which might be worse.
Nothing to see here: just valuable years and experience in a potential young superstar’s career being wasted away.
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What to do with Lu…
After placing Luis Robert Jr. on the injured list with a hamstring strain, the White Sox are reportedly not expected to trade the centerfielder ahead of the summer trade deadline, per baseball insider Jon Morosi.
Robert Jr. is in the middle of the worst season of his professional career. In 73 games this season, he’s slashing .185/.270/.313 with eight home runs. That’s good enough for just a 63 wRC+ and 0.0 fWAR.
Over his last ten games before suffering the injury to his hamstring, Robert Jr. picked up just three hits in 31 at-bats, drawing three walks and slashing .111/.200/.333 in the same stretch. Two of his three hits? Home runs.
Morosi added that the belief around the league is that the Sox’s best trade chip ahead of the deadline is Adrian Houser, whom the Sox signed on May 20 after being released from the Texas Rangers’ organization days earlier. No surprise there, Houser’s been a revelation and then some for the Sox.
So, what realistic options do the Sox have for Robert Jr. if they opt to keep him past July 31?
1. Let him walk for no return in the offseason.
2. Pick up a club option in Robert Jr’s contract worth $20 million in 2026.
Not exactly a super hopeful outlook.
And if the White Sox had to make a decision today, I’m sure they’d non-tender him.
Theoretically, the Sox could send Robert to the free agency pool after the season and attempt to re-sign him for less money. But at that point, I think a clean break and fresh start for both parties is probably in everybody’s best interests.
I still can’t figure out what happened to Robert Jr. that caused this drop-off over the past two seasons. We’re talking about a guy who hit 75 extra-base hits in 2023 and finished 12th in AL MVP voting. Now, in 173 games played over the past two years, the supposed slugging centerfielder has just 49 XBHs.
I’d even go as far as to say that it’s unfair to blame the Sox in this situation because I’ve never seen anything like it.
⚾️ Fourth of July 1:20 Club ⚾️
There’s no place better on the Fourth of July than the bleachers at the Friendly Confines. Join Cody Delmendo and CHGO Diehards for a pivotal series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals THIS FRIDAY. The party starts at 10 a.m. at Murphy’s Bleachers.
MIDSEASON MVP: Matthew Boyd did it again for the Cubs last night. Boyd, who’s already thrown the most innings in a season (98.2 IP) for himself since 2019, lowered his ERA to 2.65 with seven innings of two-run ball.
With Justin Steele out for the season after elbow surgery in April, and Shota Imanaga only now returning from more than a month on the sideline with a hamstring issue, Boyd’s been the guy stepping up for the Cubs every fifth day.
Boyd leads all Cubs pitchers with 1.8 WAR, whereas no other Cubs arm has surpassed the 1.0 mark.
HELP IS ON THE WAY (maybe): When asked pregame to vaguely describe the Cubs’ outlook ahead of the trade deadline, Cubs president Jed Hoyer said: “When it comes to acquiring depth, we’re on the lookout.”
HAPPY BELATED CANADA DAY: The Bulls announced the signing of Canadian hooper Emanuel Miller to a two-way deal yesterday. Miller, 25, averaged 16.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game with the Windy City Bulls last year.
The Blackhawks made one signing on the first day of free agency: Dominic Toninato, a deep depth forward who signed a two-year, two-way deal worth $850,000 per season.
Toninato, 31, has spent parts of eight years in the NHL, scoring 35 points along the way. He did not register a point in five games with the Winnipeg Jets last season.
E.C.P.O.W: Angel Reese was named the WNBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for last week after averaging 19.7 points, 17.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals over three games. The Sky went 2-1 in those contests, with Reese leading the team in scoring (24 points) on Sunday against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Enjoy the rest of your week, and be safe this weekend celebrating Independence Day! After all, I’d imagine it’s pretty tough to scroll through the emails on your phone following a firework mishap.
No newsletter until next week for the holiday. And next week, I’ll be out of town for a nice little recharge before football season.
But you’re in good hands. ALLCITY’s Regional Content Director and former writer of the Midway Minute newsletter, Kevin Kaduk, will be pinch-hitting for me all next week.
He had a newsletter itch he wanted to scratch, and I had vacation time I wanted to take. It couldn’t have worked out any better.
I’ll see you all again on July 14! Happy Fourth!
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