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Patriots Latest Moves and Rumors 3/23

Move: The Stephon Gilmore Contract

Stephon Gilmore and Tom Brady on the field after the 2018 AFC Championship game.

Thursday, the Patriots reworked Stephon Gilmore’s contract for 2019.

Gilmore, who was originally scheduled to have a cap hit of $14,837,500, saw $8.5 million dollars worth of his contract get converted into a signing bonus.

Doing this frees up $5.67 million dollars for the Patriots in cap space. The current cap for the Pats is now $8,332,763.

This move should not be the only one for the Patriots as more money will need to come their way. The Patriots still have key free agents like Stephen Gostkowski and Chris Hogan, who remain unsigned.

The Patriots also must compensate for the projected $8,970,997 dollars it will take to sign all their draft picks.

With their cap as it is, expect the Patriots to move some money around with players like Devin McCourty, Tom Brady, and maybe even Rob Gronkowski, D’onta Hightower, and Lawerence Guy.

Many expect Gostkowski to be back and Hogan looks more likely to return by the day. The Patriots will need at least 6 million in cap for those two signings alone.

Expect them to restructure some contracts, resign some players, and trade a couple of draft picks.

Rumor: Patriots Schedule Meeting With WVU Quarterback Will Grier

Will Grier playing Texas Tech during his time at West Virginia.

The Patriots lack of attention to the quarterback position in this year’s draft might hint what they have planned for next year’s.

Although, one quarterback prospect who they have scheduled a meeting with is former West Virginia quarterback Will Grier.

Grier, who was in the Heisman conversation for a brief time last year, seems to be moving up draft boards each day.

After his very impressive pro day, several teams have called to meet with him.

In fact his pro day was so impressive that he has potentially moved up into late first-round consideration.

Grier makes sense as a potential fit in the Patriots system. In addition, some other quarterbacks that scouts think could come to New England are Daniel Jones of Duke, Brett Rypien of Boise State, and Ryan Finley of North Carolina State.

Rumor: Stephen Gostkowski Resigning Reports

Stephen Gostkowski waiting on bench with the Patriots.

It seems inevitable that the Patriots and veteran kicker Stephen Gostkowski will reach an agreement to reunite.

Now it appears that after the readjustment of Stephon Gilmore’s contract that the Patriots now have the money to resign their long-tenured kicker.

Tom Curran reported on Thursday that the Patriots and Gostkowski are making progress and are actively talking about a return.

Curran also reported that other teams are interested in Gostkowski. Almost any team would kill for a kicker like Stephen. Although, Gostkowksi’s interest in other teams seem very small and he obviously holds the Patriots as his top destination.

Gostkowski will be entering his fourteenth year in the NFL and will not consider retirement at this time.

Most expect Gostkowski’s contract number to be in the $3mil to $4mil range.

Losing a kicker like Gostkowski would obviously be bad news for New England. Replacing his production would certainly not be an easy task.

3 Catchers, 2 Spots; Who Gets Them?

Blake Swihart

The most promising of the three options is Blake Swihart. Blake is a former first rounder who has been thrown at various positions throughout the field, but has yet to stick. Now, he finds himself with a chance to become an everyday catcher again. Being the youngest of the three certainly works in the favor of Swihart, however, his time is running out. If he can’t carry his hot spring into the regular season or stay healthy, and improve on his .678 career OPS, he could see himself traded.

If the team really wants the most value from a trade of a catcher, this may be their best bet. Teams like the Royals and Athletics are still in need of a starting catcher, and could be tempted by the upside of the former top prospect.

Verdict: To me, I’m keeping Swihart and riding with him as my starter. He showed flashes of a solid bat down the stretch in 2018, and I’d at least want to take the chance on him as one of the two catchers on my team.

Christian Vazquez

Certainly the most perplexing of the three options. Vazquez seemed to take strides by hitting .290 in 2017, which is excellent for a major league catcher. He’s always been a good defensive catcher, with a fantastic knack for throwing out runners. However, in 2018 he regressed heavily. He signed a contract heading into the year with an average annual value of around 4.5 million, so expectations were raised after his successful 2017. The expectations weren’t met, as his average fell to .207 and his OPS fell almost 200 points.

At times his focus appeared to be elsewhere, and staying in shape was brought into question. As someone who loved Vazquez as a prospect, I think he can get past these things. I do believe he has a solid .270-.280 perennial average in him, and he could be a solid starter or a reliable backup.

Verdict: He has been ice cold in the spring, but Vazquez still offers plenty of upside for a Boston team yet to settle on a starting catcher. Being locked in with him through 2022 gives the Red Sox some incentive to be persistent with Vazquez. I think that earns him the second catcher spot on this team, at least to start the season.

Sandy Leon

One time a folk hero for Red Sox fans, Sandy Leon’s fall from grace has been quick and hard. In 2016 he hit .310 with an OPS over .840. These numbers came out of absolutely nowhere, as he hit .184 and .156 the two seasons prior. Everyone knew he wouldn’t replicate his 2016 again, as those numbers are just absurd for a catcher. Especially one who was always known as a defence-first backstop. The average fell to .225 in 2017, then under .180 last season.

I was very much an advocate to cut Sandy at many points throughout the season. However, the Sox’ front office felt differently. They felt him being the strongest defensive catcher of the three was worth holding onto, despite a miserable OPS slightly over .500. Leon is sneaky young, as he turns 30 later this week. He still holds upside strictly because of his defense. There is a glimmer of hope that stretch in the second half of 2016 wasn’t an anomaly.

Verdict: He doesn’t hold a ton of trade value due to his historically poor offense. He will appeal to many teams who are in search of a backup catcher. Or any team who may need to fill a hole that is left by injury. To me, you find a trade somewhere for Leon, likely K.C., and you take whatever you can get back for him.

After a Trade Offer from Phoenix, is Terry Rozier on His Way Out?

Terry Rozier might be the most polarizing Celtic of the summer.

After a monster playoff run from the young point guard in June, rumors flew about a future role with the team. As Kyrie Irving returns to the court, Rozier has to return to the bench and play behind the superstar once again. On Friday, a report from an Arizona radio station got rumor mills churning again.

Arizona Sports 98.7 broke news that the Suns had apparently attempted to trade for a “front-tier point guard”. Among their targets were Damian Lillard, Kemba Walker, and-you guessed it- Boston’s own Terry Rozier. Obviously, their efforts were unsuccessful. However, even after a big trade with the Rockets, Phoenix may not be done yet. Even if the Suns don’t end up with Rozier, is he on his way out of Boston?

Oh yeah??

— Terry Rozier (@T_Rozzay3) August 31, 2018

A Potential Suns Exchange

After dealing Brandon Knight away to Houston, the Suns are extremely thin at point guard. Devin Booker is an established star at the shooting guard, but Phoenix is in need of a ballhandler. Terry Rozier appears to be a prime candidate for the position. It’s unclear what the Suns would send to Boston in return for Rozier, but it’s unlikely they’d want to deal any of their young core. Players like Dragan Bender and Josh Jackson are probably off the table. That doesn’t leave Phoenix with very many valuable players.

Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

However, there are still intriguing assets on the Suns. TJ Warren, just 25, could be another addition to Boston’s stash of lengthy wings. Troy Daniels, a shooting guard, is another potential target. There’s also the potential that Danny Ainge wants to add to his draft pick cache. The Suns have their own first rounder next year, as well as a protected first from the Bucks. If Danny plays his cards correctly, the Celtics could end up with some valuable assets if a trade materializes.

Aspirations of Stardom

Even if Terry Rozier doesn’t end up going to the Suns, there’s still a lot of support for the idea that he’ll be shipped out soon. As mentioned before, Rozier is going to have to take a backseat to Kyrie. Only time will tell if he’s going to accept that role. He’s said that he’s ready and willing to return to the bench, but will he walk the walk?

There’s also the matter of Rozier’s impending free agency. He’ll be a restricted free agent next summer. Now that he’s showed he has what it takes to lead a team, the offers Rozier will receive will likely far exceed what Boston is able to shell out to retain him. If he wants a starting role in the league, he’ll be eager to sign with another team in free agency. That deal will likely be worth a large sum of money. Now that Marcus Smart has resigned for four years, Rozier might not be willing to fight with him for minutes forever.

If the team knows that’s going to happen, they’ll be quick to deal him to a team that is in need of a point guard. Whether it be for players or draft picks, Danny Ainge won’t run the risk of having Rozier walk in the offseason. He definitely won’t allow the Celtics to be left empty-handed. If there’s an opportunity to get a good haul for the point guard, Boston will seize it.

photo by Christopher Evans

There’s no doubt that Rozier is an extremely valuable player on this Celtics roster. However, he might not be part of the team for much longer. If teams keep pursuing him, an offer might be too good to pass up.

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