** Trade deadline deals!**At the all-star break, the Bruins made two deals.
To Seattle:
1B Scott Doyley Doyley
1B Luke Canela (rookie prospect)
To Vancouver:
RP Justin "The Kid" Ciboch CiB0RG Doyley was in the last year of a big contract and the team was looking to go a bit cheaper at the position, so in the first deal they get back reliever Justin Ciboch.
Ciboch rose through the Seattle minor league system and is a middle innings lefty workhorse. Ciboch hopes to settle the bullpen down as it is where the Bruins have been struggling.
With a hole at first base, Vancouver needed to acquire another a major league ready first baseman.
To Memphis
RF Caleb Rector
To Vancouver
1B Terry Grayson Terry Grayson
Terry is 6'7 and 270 pounds of mean. Rising up through the Toronto minor league system, Terry was traded to Memphis where he had a couple mediocre seasons. Skill wise, Terry is a bit of a step down from Doyley, but he is a few years younger and the Bruins hope he can develop his power into a home run crushing machine.
**The Bruins cruised to their third straight NC West Title with a 96-66 record. Not the dominance from the previous two years, but enough to win by 8 games over 2nd place Calgary.** Two key injuries for the Bruins as 2B Victor Lane suffered a setback in his injury rehab in late July and missed the remainder of the season. SP Dwain Sponseller, who was also having a career year, herniated a disc in his back in mid-september, putting him out for two months.
This gave the Bruins the #3 seed and a date with the New York Empire, a team with that just finished with it's first winning season in their short history. Vancouver bats struggled to get anything going, especially Dom Nader and Drew Kaleta. Dan Blanton was in prime form as he walked away with series MVP. Shawn Trayys pitched extremely well, with a shutout in the decisive game 5, where the Bruins crushed the Empire 10-0. Off to round 2.
In round 2, the Bruins were up against the NC central powerhouse Winnipeg Frostbite in an all-Canadian affair. The 2020 champs were hungry to get back to the WS and jumped out to an early 2-0 lead at home. Vancouver went back home and won two to tie the series up. With the Frostbite winning game 5 at home and the Bruins winning game 6 back home, it was back to Winnipeg for Game 7, a series that saw the home team win every game. Game 7 saw a masterful performance from Matt Lazell on the mound as a 4-2 road win sent the Bruins to their second straight conference final series! However, shortly after the game, it was learned the Lazell ruptured a tendon in his thumb, shutting him down for the year. With Sponseller and Lazell now out, the Bruins were essentially down to 3 main starters for round 3. Shaun Trayys showed he was the go to pitcher as he pitched two masterful games in the series, not giving up a single run. The big bats of Kaleta and Nader continued to struggle, but Blanton picked up the slack and won series MVP yet again.
The conference finals put them up against the Chicago Cardinals, a familiar playoff opponent. The Cardinals sent the Bruins home swiftly in Round 1 of the inaugural season, a major upset. This time, it was the Bruins that were the underdogs. Both teams traded wins the first 4 games of the series, until the Vancouver offence just...stopped. Also, with only three true starters, the pitching was falling apart. The Bruins were outscored 10-1 in the final two games as Chicago took the series 4-2.
The Bruins season ended in the exact spot it did last year. With the window closing more and more each day on this star-studded team, another missed chance at the World Series is heartbreaking.
The Chicago Cardinals defeated the Albuquerque Coyotes 4-0 to capture their first title.
Many would believe that this was the final straw and some changes need to be made to get this team to the finals, but GM Crazy Canuck is rolling the dice on one more run with this core. "It's now or never", Canuck said. "I still believe that this is the core that can get things done. We've been dealt some bad hands injury wise heading into the playoffs the past few seasons. Our luck has gotta turn around."
End of Season Awards
Just one this year, with newcomer Marc Foley
seamount4life taking home his 4th straight CF Gold Glove award!
Off Season Player Update
Victor Lane VctryLnSprts As mentioned earlier, Lane never made it back from injury and only suited up for 38 games this season. He was sorely missed. The team entered arbitration with Lane and he received a significant raise, as he will be making just over $10 million next season. With Lane's injury woes, the Bruins were hesitant to lock him up to a long term deal. It is a wait-and-see approach with Lane, as many are wondering if this bright young talent can stay healthy.
Jack Reed sire0329 . Reed had a solid campaign, hitting .250 with 12HR and 62RBI. Covering for Lane in the leadoff spot most of the year was an adjustment, but he handled it well. Reed also went to arbitration where he was awarded $5.2 million for the upcoming season. Like Lane, the Bruins are being cautious, as Reed is another player who has had his share of injury problems.
Terry Grayson Terry Grayson . Terry struggled to find a groove with his new team in the second half of the season, putting up below average numbers. Grayson finally figured things out in the playoffs where he was a much needed spark and one of the the teams' most productive bats in the early rounds. Terry is back from arbitration with a $1.2 million dollar deal, enough for plenty of Copenhagen. It remains to be seen if Grayson will be a long term fit with the club.
Dan Blanton catcherman22 . Dan failed to repeat as MVP this year, but still turned in a decent season, but his offensive numbers were HALF his output from last year. Blanton came alive in the playoffs with two series MVPs and helped the Bruins go deep again. Dan is making $22 million this year but holds a player option. Many believe that Blanton will void the remainder of his contract to test free agency, but time will tell. Many fans are on the GM to get Blanton locked up to something long term, but can the Bruins afford it?
Tim Owens Tim . 2022 was the breakout season for the youngster known as "The Founder". By far his best season to date, with 35HR and 108RBI hitting .283. Owens also hit well in the playoffs, getting big hits when needed. It is the last year for Owens to be making the league minimum this upcoming season. Yet another potentially big player that the Bruins are going to have to make a decision with.
Marc Foley seamount4life Foley had a decent season at the plate, but excelled in the field, locking up another Gold Glove. Foley struggled in the playoffs this season however, failing to contribute much on either side of the ball. Foley still has 3 years left on his deal at just over $16 million per season.
Dom Nader TheDominator273 The second member of the Big 3 also struggled a bit this season. Despite another good season, production was down from his previous two seasons, but not by much. Where he really struggled was the playoffs, only hitting .152 and finding himself near the bottom of the order by the Conference Final series. As a player locked up till 2028 on a big deal, many fans are hoping this was an off year and Dom will be back to the form many are used to seeing him in next year.
Drew Kaleta warrior009 The third member of the Big 3 had the best season of the trio, staying pretty consistent with his numbers from the past two seasons. .276 with 41HR and 91 RBI this year was very solid. The playoffs were an ABSOLUTE DISASTER for Kaleta, only registering ONE hit in the first two series! He started to find his way against Chicago, but it was too little, too late. If Kaleta and Nader were on their game, the Bruins should have cruised to the finals. Drew has two years left on a $20.5 million dollar deal.
Ben Page b101 Ben had a rough time at the plate this season, only hitting .215, but it was consistent with his output from last year. Page found his way in the playoffs with a couple key long bombs that helped the Bruins immensely. Page is making league minimum again in 2023, but it is doubtful a long-term deal will be made unless Page shows significant improvement offensively.
Jeff Reese SmilingGoats Jeff finished the season with a 14-8 record, but his performance was much better than his record showed.a WHIP under 1 and an ERA of 2.56 had fans excited to see what he could do in the playoffs. But his playoff curse showed up again, as Reese went 0-4 in the playoffs with an ERA over 4.5. Not the performance the Bruins were hoping for from their #1 starter (or is he #1). Reese is locked up to a mega deal until 2027 that $34 million per season. The Bruins need more out of him, especially in the playoffs.
Shawn Trayys Trayys Trayys had another excellent season, right on par with Reese and they were 1a and 1b starters going to the playoffs. While Reese stumbled, Trayys dominated, with a sizzling 1.29 ERA in 6 playoff games, with two shutouts. Trayys went to arbitration where he will be making just over $18 million next season. Shaun's long term future with the club is still currently unknown, but the hashtag #paytrayys is trending in Vancouver after the playoffs.
Dwain Sponseller @coasterroyalty Sponseller was having the season of his career before the herniated disc ended his season in September, a huge loss for the Bruins. Dwain was in the last year of his deal and was not re-signed during the year. As free agency begins, it is told that the Bruins and Sponseller are very close to a deal which may see him back in the fold for 2023.
Matt Lazell fuzion Matt had by far his best season to date, going 17-8 with a 3.29 ERA this year. He played well in the playoffs until a ruptured tendon in his finger put him out for the rest of the year. However, the journeyman has finally played himself into some stability, as the Bruins signed him in the offseason to a 3 year deal where he will be making just over $7 million/season. Lazell and his family are delighted to put down some roots in a city for the first time.
Geoff Browne gdog - After a subpar 2021 campaign, Browne was back in fine form this year, notching 43 saves and finishing 2nd in reliever of the year voting. As expected, Browne voided the last two years of his contract and was planning on testing free agency. The Bruins were not ready to let their star closer go, as they signed him just before free agency to a 4 year deal at $8.5 million/season. OY!
Justin Ciboch CiB0RG - Ciboch did what he was brought into do, pitch in high leverage situations in middle innings and he did it very well. He had by far his best stretch of his career following the trade. Ciboch did struggle in the playoffs though, directly costing the Bruins one game in the second round as Winnipeg pummeled him and they blew the lead. Ciboch is back next year on a $1.2 million dollar deal. Again, uncertainty as to if Ciboch will be back long term.
***
Ex Bruins Player Update***
Scott Doyley Doyley - Scott spent the second half of the 2022 season just down the I-5 in Seattle where he put up similar numbers to the first half in Vancouver. Doyley is currently testing free agency at the time of writing, so we will have to see where he ends up for 2023. His agent is saying he is looking for a 4 year deal in the $6.5 million/season range.
Griffin Ray DoubtfulObelisk - It was a rough season for Ray in Raleigh as he only hit .181 with the club with 20HR and 71RBI. He is locked up until 2025 at $14.2 million/season.
Chad Dueck titaneddie - The grizzled vet spent one season in San Diego where he saw limited action, only pitching in 23 innings this season with a 5.48 ERA. Dueck is back on the FA market, looking for at least a couple more seasons before he hangs it up.
Joe Myself lessthanbread - Joe was the only ex-Bruin that had a better season than he did than when he was with Vancouver. Myself went 9-7 with a 3.40 ERA, but shoulder inflammation in late July kept him out for the remainder of the 2022 season. Joe did sign a deal with San Antonio that sees him making $9.8 million/season for the next three years.
Well guys, this thread has been a blast, but with back to school on Tuesday and the baby coming in a couple weeks, I won't be able to do these writeups any more in this amount of detail (they take over an hour to do). I still plan on playing this season here and there when I get a chance, so I will try to keep everyone informed on how the Bruins are doing in the future. Thanks for following along, it made the game and writeups a blast to do! 
