Blackhawks Trade For Bowen Byram To Commence The Next Step Of The Rebuild

Two rain days served the Cubs well as they carried their momentum to New York and pushed even harder. They beat up on the disgruntled Mets so badly that they fired manager Carlos Mendoza at the end of the 4-game sweep. The offense slugged their way to 33 runs in those 4 games, and Dansby Swanson had a historic 3-game stretch where he hit 7-for-12 with 3 HR and 15 RBI! Of course, he crashed down to earth and went 0-16 to finish out the week. The Mets’ 6-error game helped a bit, too.

Instead of succumbing to the Brewers’ gauntlet of Misiorowski, Harrison, and Woodruff, the Cubs somehow snuck out of Milwaukee with a series win. Misiorowski hit 105.5 mph on the gun in Game 1 and silenced the hot Cubs lineup. Seiya Suzuki (2 HR, 6 RBI) led the charge throughout the series as they pounced on the Brewers’ bullpen to will their way to two victories.

The odds-defying season keeps diverting farther and farther from any believable outcome. The Cubs should be dead in the water with their contorted fairytale list of pitching injuries still growing: Edward Cabrera covering first base, Hoby Milner appendectomy, Ben Brown neck injury redux. Bryse Wilson and David Peterson weren’t on the team a week ago and had gutsy outings in Milwaukee.

Add another impressive winning stretch to their streakiness:
27-12
7-22
12-4

If the bats keep it up, they’ll continue to win. They currently hold the 2nd Wild Card spot and have the 5th best run differential in baseball. Some pitchers will eventually get healthy…right? Plus, they’re already looking for and acquiring innings eaters on the trade market. Pitching help will arrive. Can they avoid the next valley?

Rookies report to training camp on July 25th!

With Ivar Stenberg projected to be off the board at #4 in the NHL Draft (he was later selected #2 by the San Jose Sharks), Kyle Davidson opted to move off of his high pick to acquire 25-year old defenseman Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres. Byram makes sense as a fit for the Hawks, and I’m mostly excited about him joining the promising but inexperienced defensemen core that is already here. He’s a point machine, extremely productive in the playoffs, won a Stanley Cup, and specifically wanted to become a #1 defenseman somewhere else. The concern is they may have traded away a Top 5 draft pick (for the first time in the entire NHL since 2008) for a good but inconsistent player who has potential. What if he still struggles on the defensive end and doesn’t grasp the #1 role well?

The Hawks had an exciting if more uneventful draft than usual. Kyle Davidson didn’t have a 1st round pick after having 11 over his first 4 drafts. They veered from their typical targeted traits with their two 2nd round selections: D Xavier Villeneuve and F Ryan Roobroeck. Neither player fits the skating/motor mold they always draft, but the change of pace makes sense at this point in the rebuild. Villeneuve is a high upside player with a ton of skill, and Roobroeck could become a formidable power forward.

The Bulls drafted forward Caleb Wilson and guard/forward Dailyn Swain in the first round of the NBA Draft. Wilson was a no-brainer as the last player on the board in the consensus top 4. He played for one year at North Carolina and was one of the best players in college basketball (19.8p/9.4r/2.7a/1.4b). We just suffered through a decade of Bulls basketball marred by clunky lineups full of unathletic role players. This Caleb W. (second one in town!), with elite athleticism and impressive defensive prowess, represents the foundation for the future. He and Swain, who spent three years in college, can lead the way in enforcing the team’s new identity.

They also acquired center Nic Claxton from the Brooklyn Nets for virtually nothing in a three-team trade. He has two years remaining on an affordable deal and was an effective starter for the last four seasons. Even though his play has dipped since his career season in 2022-2023 and he may slot behind Jalen Smith in the rotation, he’s still a welcome breath of fresh air after the Nikola Vucevic era.

Caleb Wilson will be the next star in Chicago.

I often talk about the faces of the franchise in Chicago: Caleb Williams, Connor Bedard, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Matas Buzelis.

Wilson will arrive at the United Center as a more polished and explosive player than Buzelis was when he was drafted and has even more potential. I’m not ready to replace Buzelis on the list of franchise players, but he may gain a running mate.

Everyone says shooting can improve. It is the only legitimate flaw in Wilson’s game, which barely counts for anything as a teenage basketball player with all the skill in the world. With off-the-charts athleticism and a high basketball IQ, the sky is the limit. His abilities give him a high starting line, but his drive to be the best will turn him into a superstar.

What do Williams, Bedard, PCA, Buzelis, and now Wilson all have in common? They are obsessed with being the best.