The Sports Insanity Network

Lost Treasure

By Mike Rifkin

Remember last week when the Pittsburgh Pirates won six consecutive games, and you thought hey maybe they turned the corner? Well, they didn’t and the Pirates spent the July fourth weekend without fireworks, as they were shutout in an entire series by the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners outscored the Pirates 8-0, including 1-0 wins on Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday’s loss hurts more because it was Paul Skenes pitching, and Skenes was fantastic, with 10 strikeouts and no runs allowed in his five innings of work. Why he was pulled at 78 pitches is something I don’t understand (unless it’s injury related). Paul Skenes is in the top ten in ERA (1.94), strikeouts (125), and WHIP(0.92), yet his record is 4-7. Why is such a dominant pitcher 4-7? Well, the Pirates have scored two runs or less in seven of Skenes’ starts. The Pirates are 26th in team batting average (.231) and 30th in homers (61). With the trade deadline looming the Pirates have a few names to consider moving are outfielder Brian Reynolds, starting pitcher Mitch Keller and Closer David Bednar.

Now here’s the thing for GM Ben Cherington, he has to add pieces for the 2026 Pirates, as they look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015. If they don’t make those additions and the 2026 Pirates are similar to the Pirates we’ve seen this season, well then the Paul Skenes trade whispers are going to get louder. And for a team that has already gone through this (Gerrit Cole) it’s not out of the realm of possibility it can happen again, and the Pirates could lose two treasured pitchers.

NHL FREE AGENCY : WINNERS AND LOSERS (BY TEAM) BY MIKE RIFKIN

We are in the midst of NHL free agency. And while most of the top guys have signed, we will wait and see what happens on the trade market. But, while we wait here are my winners and losers so far.

WINNERS:

PANTHERS – How do the back to back champs get better? By retaining all three of their massive free agents. You can make the case that all three could’ve made more money (AAV) on the market, but chose to stay in Florida. Retaining all three of these players will help the Panthers on their quest to win a third consecutive Cup.

MAMMOTH – It’s not often that 23 year old, that has the potential to score 30 goals hits the market. And in the case of JJ Peterka, he was an RFA and Utah struck a deal quickly with the Sabres to acquire him and subsequently sign him to a five year 38.5 million dollar contract. Nate Schmidt, will replace Michael Kesserling, who was traded to Buffalo for Peterka. Schmidt, was outstanding for the Panthers with five goals and 19 points in 80 regular season games. In the Panthers’ run to the Cup Schmidt had three goals and 12 points in 23 games. As for Tanev, he is an energy player, he will fit in the bottom six and kills penalties. He also will add some physicality to the Mammoth.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS – Since their inception into the league, the Vegas Golden Knights have not been afraid of the big splash. This summer they reeled in the big fish in Mitch Marner, in a sign and trade with the Maple Leafs. Marner, is a highly skilled player, who hit 100 points last season. Marner also has 63 points in 70 career playoff games. In the sign and trade for Marner, the Golden Knights traded away Nic Roy, who is a useful two way forward. In replacing him he Knights acquired Colton Sissons from the Predators. Sissons, is a nice complimentary piece, who can play in the middle six, and help kill penalties. Sissons also brings a lot of playoff experience as well, not that the Knights need it.

ISLANDERS – The Islanders might have had the best offseason so far, having the number one overall pick in the draft and three total in the first round. The Islanders also had an underrated signing in Jonathan Drouin. Drouin had 37 points in 43 games last season for the Avs, two years ago he had 56 points in 79 games. Drouin, playing on a line with either Mat Barzal or Bo Horvat should help the Isles offense, that averaged 2.71 goals per game.

CANADIENS – They are young, hungry and very close to ending this rebuild with a bang. They traded for and subsequently signed defenseman Noah Dobson, as well as traded for Zac Bolduc from the Blues. Both players fit the age gap of this young, up and coming team led by Marty ST. Louis.

LOSERS

BRUINS : The Bruins are in an interesting spot with their franchise. While they still have a lot of talent under contract, they need to start thinking about the future. The Bruins made one of the most confusing deals in free agency when they signed Tanner Jeannot, to a five year 17 million dollar contract (3.4 AAV). In 2021-22 Jeannot scored 24 goals, if you combine the three seasons since, he’s only scored 20 goals. He’ll fit in Boston as a physical player, but unless he finds his offensive game, this contract is not pretty.

CANUCKS : I know what you’re thinking, Mike they brought back Brock Boeser, and you are 100% right. I have no problem with Boeser, but I am confused on the state of the Canucks. Are they closer to the team two years ago, that was a playoff team or are they the dysfunctional mess they were last season? Anyway the two deals I have a problem with are the addition of Evander Kane, and the Thatcher Demko extension. Let’s start with Kane, there are a few problems I have with it, the biggest one being you help a division rival dump a salary, and don’t get a sweetener. Kane can be an effective player, but there are times where he will lose his cool ( watch the Stanley Cup Final). Not sure he’s the best addition to a team trying to cleanse out their locker room. I love Thatcher Demko, when healthy he’s an elite goalie. The key is when healthy, two of the last three seasons Demko has played less than 40 games.They need to keep Demko healthy otherwise that 3 year (8.5 Mill AAV) is going last forever.
SABRES – Someone check on Kevyn Adams, the Sabres have been relatively quiet. They traded away Peterka ( mentioned above) and have done very little to improve this team. The Sabres have the longest playoff drought in the league, and one would think if they miss again Adams will be fired.

Another Russ In NY?

BY MARK HALPERN

The New York Giants will have a new quarterback in 2025 by the name of Russell Wilson, could the Knicks land another marquee Russell? The New York Knicks ambitions of finals glory was ended by the Pacers, who lost in the Finals to the Thunder. Speaking of the Thunder, a former perennial all-star has emerged as a possible target and that’s Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook played his first 11 seasons in the league with the Thunder. Russell is a nine time all-star. Westbrook has led the league in many categories,he is a two time scoring champ and a three time assists leader, as well as the 2016-17 MVP. Westbrook is the all-time leader in Triple-Doubles with 203. Westbrook has bounced around since, playing for both LA teams, Houston, Washington, and this season Denver. His days of starting are over, but he still brings energy and can provide a spark every game. Once his trade to the Lakers was proven to be two of his worst years trying to live around the spotlight of Lebron James and Anthony Davis and was lost in the mix. His numbers suffered greatly and almost in an instance he wasn’t a big name anymore.

The Knicks are in dire need of help off the bench (as the starting 5 is pretty solid). The Knicks sorely lacked in bench production this season after the departing of Donte DiVincenzo (who is rumored to want to come back) and could use the talents and likes of Westbrook as long as his shooting selection has changed. Being in New York with this team could see his name put up for the likes of Sixth man of the year. If Westbrook could handle the LA spotlight, he can handle New York. But one thing he needs to know is that this is not his team.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A PROBLEM LIKE SOTO

BY MARK HALPERN

The title may be misleading a little. For one the New York Mets have a problem that does not need solving. As proving again time and time before Juan Soto has been consistent in 90% of all his attributes. Whether it has been hitting, fielding Juan Soto has lived up to the name “The Most Dangerous Man in Baseball.”

Soto has been up against critics and team pressure not once, not twice but every team he has played for. When he was traded to the New York Yankees, he was brought in because of the respect he commands in the field. Let’s face it Yankee Stadium plays more friendly than Citi Field does (especially for left handed hitters). The Yankees were fleeced of their farm system to acquire Soto only to see him leave a year later. What happened you may ask? He played to every point he was expected but, “THE TEAM FAILED” not just Soto but the Yankees saw that as the $65 Million Dollar Answer. Juan Soto at the end of another good season didn’t get offered the maximum he though he was worth and saw him move across town to the Rival Mets for a difference of $65 Million.

It was clear Soto wanted to stay in New York. He liked the rush of the big time, he was not just a fan favorite but, also began taking away the spotlight of the $400 Million Dollar man Aaron Judge. Also did the Yankees necessarily have the money to sign Soto?

The question became is how did the Mets steal him? Steve Cohen used the all-mighty dollar and gave his family a Suite forever, this is what the Yankees gave up. Every team would love to have a problem of Juan Soto and the fact he could play for any team at any time and still thrive.

Shohei Ohtani set the record for a contract just a year before at 700 million dollars (even though the bulk is deferred money and he makes 2.1 Million). The difference between the two is Ohtani can pitch, that has been made clear. He is even returning to the mound today for his second time this season as he looks to build up strength. Ohtani is considered the face of baseball and the Dodgers when we look at it now under paid.

The problem that Soto has brought to Queens isn’t anything to do with money. Players are now going to want to come play in Citi (again not a problem), more advertisers and bigger media contracts isn’t the issue. The problem he brings is that Cohen can’t sign everyone to playing queens. Cohen is making sure his investment will bring is not only revenue but, more fans to the venue area and a desire to want to come to New York and view the team but, what is the draw you may ask? How about the multi-billion dollar complex he is designing to be built with hotels looking in on stadium (which has become a trend in baseball) but huge attraction including a bigger tennis complex as well.

The Mets Problem is not what to do about Soto but, it is more how can we help make this thrive for decades to come something the New York Mets fans have been missing in ownership. Will players take less to play in Queens, we have to wait and see?

TRADE DEADLINE

BY MARK HALPERN

The Mets have had hit a big time speedbump in their season. A massive reason for them being 3-12 in their last 15 games is the fact that the starting pitching just isn’t going deep into games. . The Mets have had to deal with injuries (just like all other teams), Clay Holmes is on an innings limit, and other guys are coming back from injuries. Here is a massive question: Are the Mets and Stearns willing to part with some of the young talent, to improve this rotation for the present.

The Mets have been one of the best teams in baseball. About three weeks ago the lineup went cold and the pitching staff looked fine, but with Kodai Senga and Griffin Canning going down with injuries. Fans are still waiting for Sean Manea to come back from an oblique injury in Spring Training. Frankie Montas just came back and has had one good outing and one dreadful outing. David Peterson’s last two starts have been terrible, and Clay Holmes has thrown the most innings of his career. With about a month until the trade deadline, what will the Mets do?

We have seen time and time again teams made better by the use of the trade deadline. Lower end teams or teams that are already out of contention look to move players they won’t be able to sign and gain future pieces from other teams. Well, if it is youth that teams are going to look at it will be the Mets. The Mets have 8 of the top 100 prospects currently playing at AA or higher. The question becomes who of those prospects are they willing to part with. I can’t see them parting with some bigger names The Mets do have a logjam of infielders, so could they move a Mauricio or Baty? Probably not, but the other question you have to ask is that is any of their players worth what is out there. Myself and Mike Rifkin believe there is a starter out there for the Mets to pull a trigger on. The Mets might have to let one or two pieces leave to get a high-end pitcher the question becomes, will they?

One of the things Steve Cohen did when he took over was he improved the farm system, by paying out the contracts of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Now might be the time for Stearns and Cohen to pull the trigger on something big, because this is a go for it season, as will most seasons with Juan Soto.

Missed Opportunity

BY Mike Rifkin

The King Of The Ring tournament used to be about establishing new stars or elevating someone to the main event scene.Remember it was at the King Of The Ring where “Stone Cold” Steve Austin cut his famous Austin 3:16 promo. King Of The Ring even elevated the career of Triple H. This year feels like a missed opportunity for the WWE. As we prepare for the King Of The Ring Final which will take place Saturday at Night Of Champions, the match will be between a legend and the current face of the company.

Now a lot of stories can be told when Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes face off. But with the winner receiving a title shot at SummerSlam, it feels WWE sacrificed a good tournament to tell a story. The winner of this match will face John Cena, who has a story with both men. Cena and Orton had a majestic rivalry, and they battled each other at Backlash, which was billed as the last time they’d face. And then there is Rhodes, the man Cena defeated at WrestleMania to capture his record breaking seventeenth World Championship. Using King Of The Ring to give Rhodes his rematch in my opinion is stupid. Rhodes could’ve used his rematch clause at Money In The Bank or even SummerSlam to get revenge on Cena. So, if Orton or Rhodes shouldn’t be the King Of The Ring, who should’ve been?

That answer is simple Sami Zayn. Zayn, who lost in the semi-finals to Orton should’ve won the tournament. In fact Zayn was the only semi finalist who has never been a World Champion. Every week Zayn will cut a passionate promo about wanting to be a World Champion. Quite frankly there are a few stories you can tell with Zayn going for the World title, whether he goes against Gunther, who Zayn has a history with or Cena. If they had Zayn with the title, they could have Seth Rollins cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase on Zayn and continue their feud. Instead what we are going to get is Cody Rhodes (spoiler) vs Cena, to get back the title. The point of the matter is that Rhodes shouldn’t have needed King Of The Ring to get his rematch, and Zayn winning King Of The Ring could’ve been the moment he’s been waiting for his entire career.

UNDER PRESSURE

BY MIKE RIFKIN

The next week or so is going to be hectic in the NHL. The draft is this Friday and Saturday and July first is the beginning of free agency. Here are five General Managers who need to be active and have an effective offseason otherwise they could find themselves unemployed soon.

KEVYN ADAMS – SABRES – The Sabres have the longest current playoff drought in the league at 14 years. A few seasons ago things looked bright in Buffalo as they missed the playoffs by a single point. Last season the team regressed and that has fans very steamed. The Sabres hired Jarmo Kekalainen to be a senior advisor to the club. If Adams has a subpar offseason and it shows on the ice, Kekalainen might take over before the trade deadline.

CHRIS DRURY – RANGERS – How many coaches can one GM get to pick? Mike Sullivan is the fourth coach in the Chris Drury era, and his hiring means the Rangers mean they want to win soon. The Rangers were the biggest disappointment in the league last year, after being two wins shy of reaching the Stanley Cup Final and winning the President’s Trophy. Drury has already started the retool with the trade of Chris Kreider, but he has to be able to right the wrongs of last season.

KYLE DUBAS – PENGUINS : Kyle Dubas takes a lot of heat, but he is in a very tough spot. He’s inherited a tough job of maintaining the Penguins wanting to win while Sidney Crosby is still one of the best players on the planet and with not a ton of resources. Well the second part of that changes this summer, as the Penguins have almost 23 million dollars in cap space and six picks in the top 100 including two in the first round, and they have 18 picks in the first three rounds over the next three drafts. With Penguins ownership up in the air, Dubas has to show that he can balance the want to be competitive while also building for the future.

KYLE DAVIDSON – BLACKHAWKS – The Blackhawks, unlike the Penguins, recognized when it was time to tear it down. They’re in the midst of a rebuild and this is a critical time for them. The Hawks have already made some changes adding Andre Burakovsky to generate more offense, but with 23 million in cap space and with nine picks in the first two rounds of the next two drafts, can Kyle Davidson add some more impactful players to put around Connor Bedard.

STAN BOWMAN – OILERS – I know what you’re thinking, how can the guy in charge of the two time defending Western Conference Champs be under pressure? Well, the answer is quite simple. The best player in the world has made it clear he needs to see some change before he signs an extension and when Connor McDavid speaks Stan Bowman better have been listening. Now the Oilers don’t have the cap space nor the draft capital, so Bowman is going to have to be creative on how to change things. But at the end of the day if he is able to keep McDavid it’s a successful offseason.

Honorable Mentions: Steve Yzerman (DET), Pat Verbeek (ANA), Patrick Allvin (VAN)

Connor’s Challenge

BY Mike Rifkin

Connor McDavid is without a doubt the best Hockey player on the planet. McDavid has led the Oilers to back to back Stanley Cup Final appearances, losing both to the Florida Panthers. When we judge athletes today, we usually judge them on the amount of championships they’ve won, not the individual accolades. McDavid has plenty of individual accolades including five Art Ross trophies (most points), Three Hart Trophies (League MVP), and the guy wan the Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP) in a losing effort. But McDavid knows his legacy is not complete without a Cup. Gretzky,Messier, Lemieux, Crosby, Ovechkin all great players but winning the Cup changed their legacies.

McDavid, who is eligible for a contract extension on July first, said at his end of season press conference he is in no rush to sign the extension with the Oilers. While the city of Edmonton went into panic over those comments, McDavid was sending a sign to the organization and in particular GM Stan Bowman. The message is improve this team or I could walk in free agency. So how should Bowman improve the Oilers?

The Oilers have about 12 million dollars in cap space entering the summer. We can expect a big chunk of their cap space to go to RFA defenseman Evan Bouchard. While Bouchard will get a big pay day the number one thing for the Oilers this summer has to be to find a legitimate number one goalie. Let’s not forget Stuart Skinner was pulled for Calvin Pickard in the first round, and if the Oilers stuck with Skinner who knows if they get back to the Final. I don’t care if it’s John Gibson of the Ducks, Tristan Jarry of the Penguins or someone else, Bowman’s top priority has to be goalie. The other priority has to be to get some balance on this team. McDavid had 100 points on the season, only trialing Leon Draisaitl, who had 106, the third leading scorer was Bouchard who had 67, but the third highest scoring forward was Ryan Nugent – Hopkins, who had 49 points. The Oilers need to find some balance to their lineup.

Here’s the thing even if the Oilers address their goaltending and balance it might not lead them to a third consecutive Final appearance. The West is a gauntlet, with teams like the Stars, Jets, Avalanche, Kings, etc… all in the fold the West will be fun, and maybe that impacts McDavid’s decision, but now that’s in the hands of Stan Bowman.

UGLY WEEK

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Thursday marked one week since the Mets lost ace Kodai Senga to a hamstring injury. Since the injury, it feels like a dark cloud has hovered over the Mets. Last Thursday was also the last time the Mets won a game. After back to back sweeps against the Rays and arch rival Braves, the Mets find themselves in a tie for first place in the NL East against the team they will play three against this weekend, the Philadelphia Phillies. But, without Senga who can the Mets trust in this rotation?

The Mets rotation has carried them the bulk of the season thus far. But the last few turns in the rotation have not been pretty. Griffin Canning was awesome his first nine starts (5-1 2.47 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), but over his last four starts he’s come down to earth (1-1 5.29 ERA, 1.53 WHIP). Tylor Megill, who was just put on the IL has struggled over hist last few starts. Clay Holmes, who is being converted into a starter has already thrown the most innings in his career. Frankie Montas and Sean Manea have not thrown a pitch yet this season due to injuries. Manager Carlos Mendoza said he expects Montas to join the rotation next week, Montas got roughed up during his rehab assignment, he had an ERA of 13 in his Triple A starts. Manea is still probably a few weeks away from a return. So, right now the only guy in the Mets rotation that has trust is David Peterson. Over the last year and a half, Peterson has turned into the guy the Mets hoped when they drafted him in the first round in 2017 out of Oregon.

With guys either hitting a wall, or just having to make adjustments all eyes for the Mets are on one person. That person is David Stearns, Stearns pieced together this rotation and let’s be honest it’s worked for the most part. But eventually some of these guys were going to come down to earth. We are still about a month away from the trade deadline, but Stearns may want to think about addressing the rotation early. Even if he doesn’t want to do something now, this ugly week has to show Stearns that he has to add to this rotation, especially if he doesn’t want to rush one of his young starters in Triple A.

Sweep And Sour

By Mike Rifkin

Sunday was a bittersweet day for the Boston Red Sox and their fans. In the afternoon the Red Sox defeated their arch rivals the New York Yankees 2-0 to complete the three game sweep. Over the last two weekends the Red Sox won five of six meetings against the Yankees, and are 6.5 games behind in the AL East and a ½ game back in the Wild Card. So, a sweep of the Yankees, and going over .500 and being in the thick of a playoff race is what people in Boston are going to talk about for the next few days? No, it’s what the Red Sox did Sunday night that has people talking.

On Sunday night the Red Sox shocked the Baseball world by trading All- Star Third Baseman Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Right Handed Pitcher Jordan Hicks(28 years old) (9 starts, 13 games 1-5 6.47 ERA), Left Handed Pitcher Kyle Harrison (23) ( 4 starts, 8 games 1-1 4.56 ERA),1B/OF James Tibbs (22) (playing in A+), Right Handed Pitcher (20) Jose Bello (2.00 ERA in Rookie Ball) . Devers was in the second year of a 10 year 313.5 Million Dollar Contract.

Devers made headlines earlier this season when he said he didn’t want to play first base when Triston Casas went down with injury, or replace Alex Bregman at third when he got hurt. But, is it Devers fault? No, the Red Sox are the ones who decided to sign Bregman and move Devers to DH, so this is the fault of the organization. But here’s the thing: this is very reminiscent of the Luka Doncic trade in the NBA, with one massive difference: the Red Sox didn’t acquire Anthony Davis. They acquired two kids in their twenties, who haven’t moved past A ball, Kyle Harrison has only made 35 starts across three seasons, and Jordan Hicks, has a great arm, but doesn’t know if he’s a starter or reliever, but inconsistencies and injuries have plagued his career.

This is the second time in the last seven years where the Red Sox trade a franchise superstar for a subpar package. The first one was the Mookie Betts deal with the Dodgers, but with Devers under contract this one just feels so wrong. Devers is the face of the franchise, and in my opinion will win an MVP one day. Why trade him? Because he didn’t want to move positions or was he that bad of a guy? If either was the case then the Red Sox should’ve actually done some work and listened to what other offers could’ve been out there. They could’ve gotten a deal similar to what the Nationals got for Juan Soto, but this feels rushed and this is the kinda decision that gets someone fired.

If you are going to move a player like Devers, it’s a sign you’re going to start a rebuild. If that was the case why not shop him over the winter and why bring in a veteran like Alex Bregman? Are the Red Sox changing course on if they want to compete in 2025 and 26? Either way this trade of one of the best players in baseball is absolutely ridiculous and the Red Sox did this to themselves. Instead of celebrating a big weekend against their rivals, we have to figure out what the heck is going on in Boston? If I was a Red Sox fan, I’m not heading to Fenway until I hear the reason why the face of my franchise was traded.