Red Sox and Bruins News

Talks broke down late last night between the Rockies and Red Sox for Todd Helton. Numerous reports indicated that the Sox were willing to part with Mike Lowell and Julian Tavarez; however, the Rockies wanted one of the Sox number one prospects. Theo and Red Sox ownership did not want to give up their young talent again.

Personally, I was looking forward to seeing Helton, one of the best defensive first basemen and a great on base guy, in a Red Sox uniform. However, I still don't mind having Lowell at third and Youk at first. Yeah Todd Helton would have been an upgrade, but would he really have changed that much? The Sox would have given up Lowell (one of the best third basemen in the game) and Youk would have moved over to third. Youk could have done the job, but I still feel Lowell is a better defense third basemen. Also, the Sox would have lost a valuable bullpen guy in Tavarez not to mention a top pitching prospect (Hansen, Delcarmen, Lester). To me, it would not have been worth it. Yes Helton could have provided another big bat in this line up. He could have won the gold glove at first base and he could have an on base percentage over 400. Those are all valuable traits, but think what the Sox would have lost: a gold glove winner at third, a bullpen guy that can pitch in almost any situation, and a top notch pitching prospect that could either be a future closer or a future starter. On top of everything else, there was no way the Sox could have paid Helton's contract and made a run for Roger Clemens. Personally, I rather see them pursue Clemens harder even if it costs them 20 million dollars. Like we have all seen this offseason, money doesn't seem to mean anything anymore. Overall, I am pretty happy that the trade didn't go through, although I might have had a different view on it if it had gone through.

In other news, the Bruins got blown out again last night. If you ask me it is getting pretty old. This team was supposed to be better than last year. The young guys were supposed to go through their growing pains last year and matured enough to make a bigger impact this year. That hasn't happened at all. If anything the young players have taken a step back. Brad Boyes and Hannu Toivinen have been nothing but disappointments except for a few good games here and there. The only players that are having a good season are the two players they brought in via free agency. Chara is a great leader and can do just about anything. He has had his bad turn overs and has made some costly mistakes, but no one is perfect. Savard has done even more. He does everything on offense and can play defense as well. However, no one else is stepping up for the Bruins. Changes need to be made immediately. If the Bruins do not pick up a quality defenseman and a goal scoring winger. They do not stand a chance. Lets hope Gm Peter Charelli and the rest of the front office can make some moves to help this team.