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Archives for December 11, 2024

Crochet All Sewn-Up by Sox

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DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox acquired All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for four highly touted minor league prospects, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday.

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The Red Sox are sending catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez to Chicago, according to the reports.

Teel is Boston’s No. 4 prospect and No. 25 in all of Major League Baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. Montgomery is the No. 5 prospect in the Red Sox organization and No. 54 overall. Meidroth and Gonzalez are both top 15 prospects in Boston’s system, according to MLB Pipeline.

Crochet, 25, is coming off an All-Star season, his first as a starter, in which he went 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 146 innings over 32 starts for the woeful White Sox. Overall, he is 9-19 with a 3.29 ERA in 104 career appearances (32 starts).

Crochet played last season on a one-year deal worth $800,000 and he is under team control for two more years. He signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox worth an estimated $2.9 million, according to Spotrac. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent in 2027 unless he signs a long-term deal with the club before then.

Teel, 22, was selected No. 14 overall by the Red Sox in the 2023 draft. He hit .288 with 13 home runs, 23 doubles and 78 RBIs between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester in 2024.

Montgomery, 21, was taken No. 12 overall in this year’s draft. He hit .322 with 27 home runs and 85 RBIs with an OPS of 1.187 in his final season at Texas A&M in 2024.

Meidroth, 23, was a fourth-round pick of Boston’s in 2022. He hit .293 with seven HRs and 57 RBIs at Worcester this past season.

Gonzalez, 22, went 4-3 with a 4.73 ERA in 24 appearances (19 starts) at Portland.

–Field Level Media

NFL to Play in Berlin

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BERLIN – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The National Football League will play its first-ever regular-season game in Berlin, Germany in 2025 as the league continues to prioritize global growth for American football. The NFL did not announce the teams that will be playing in the game.

The 2025 NFL Berlin game will be played at the Olympic Stadium as part of a multiyear commitment to playing games in the world famous German city..

The NFL has held regular-season games in Munich and Frankfurt dating back to 2022, and the game in Berlin will mark the fifth NFL regular-season game in Germany and the first in the German capital.

“Germany has a rich tradition of American football, and the NFL has a deep history with the city of Berlin,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We first held a preseason game at the Olympic Stadium 34 years ago, before it was home to NFL Europe’s Berlin Thunder in the early 2000s. Now, with almost 20 million NFL fans in Germany, we’ll make a historic return to the city playing a regular-season game for the first time as we open the next chapter in our relationship with Berlin.”

“This long-term partnership with the NFL will continue to boost Berlin as a global sports metropolis, as well as excite fans at the Olympic Stadium,” said Senator for the Interior and Sports, State of Berlin, Iris Spranger. “The 2025 NFL Berlin game means worldwide visibility, numerous international guests, increased tourism and high economic value across the city. We’re looking forward to an incredible game and an ongoing successful partnership with the league, as we continue to strengthen the presence of American football throughout the state.”

Vince Carter/T-Mac Team-Up Again

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BUFFALO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Basketball Hall of Famers Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady are two of the 10 new partners added to the Buffalo Bills’ ownership group, the team announced during the NFL league meetings in Dallas on Wednesday.

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“It’s a huge honor to join this historic Bills organization,” Carter said in a statement. “I’m truly thankful the Pegula family has given me the opportunity to help the franchise continue to grow and thrive in player growth, community service and of course winning the Lombardi trophy. See you soon Bills Mafia!!!!”

Former United States men’s national team member Jozy Altidore and private investment firm Arctos were also added to the ownership group.

This marks the first time in the franchise’s history that it has added minority owners.

“This has been an incredible journey to add such an impressive and diverse group of limited partners along with a reputable private equity partner in Arctos that has an extensive track record of success with professional sports franchises,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement.

“They all have all achieved high levels of success in their respective industries and we’re grateful for their interest in our team, our sport, and the future of the Buffalo Bills. Most of them have a personal attachment with our team, Western New York or Southern Ontario which was a very important factor to me.”

The remaining minority owners are Rob Palumbo, co-managing partner of Accel-KKR, a technology-focused private equity firm; Sue McCollum, CEO and owner of beverage distribution companies Eagle Brand Sales and Double Eagle Distributing; Theresia Gouw, co-founder and managing partner of the venture capital firm Acrew Capital; Rob Ward, co-founder and general partner of venture capital firm Meritech Capital; Mike Joo, COO of Global Corporate & Investment Banking and head of North America Corporate & Investment Banking at Bank of America; Tom Burger, co-founder and managing partner of the investment firm Gridiron Capital.

–Field Level Media