Chicago Sports

Monitoring new Bears general manager Ryan Poles’ moves as the legal tampering period starts Monday and the league year begins Wednesday:

March 16

9 a.m.: Former Bears cornerback Artie Burns is signing a one-year deal with the Seahawks, a source confirmed. He’ll join former Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai there.

7:15 a.m.: Bilal Nichols, a Bears’ fifth-round pick four years ago, cashed in Wednesday when he agreed to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Raiders that featured $9 million guaranteed. Nichols had totaled eight sacks and 22 quarterback hits over the past two years combined. Last season, Nichols recovered two fumbles.

March 15

11:30 p.m.: Bears Pro Bowl return man Jakeem Grant is leaving to sign a three-year, $18 million deal with the Browns

10:30 p.m.: The Bears agreed to terms on a one-year deal with former Raiders linebacker Nicholas Morrow that can be worth up to $5 million, a source told the Sun-Times. Morrow started 11 games in 2020 but spent last year on injured reserve after hurting his ankle during the preseason.

10:30 p.m.: The Bears are signing former Packers interior offensive lineman Lucas Patrick to a two-year, $8 million deal with $4 million guaranteed, a source confirmed to the Sun-Times. Patrick can play either guard or center for a team that lost James Daniels to the Steelers earlier in the day.

10 p.m.: The Bears are re-signing long snapper Patrick Scales to a one-year contract, sources told the Sun-Tines.

10:30 a.m.: Former Bears offensive lineman James Daniels is leaving for the Steelers. Daniels agreed to a three-year, $26.5 million deal Tuesday, NFL Network reported.

Former Bears general manager Ryan Pace drafted Daniels at No. 39 overall in 2018, and he played 54 games over four seasons. The Bears moved him among both guard positions and center, and ultimately he did not impress new general manager Ryan Poles enough to re-sign him.

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March 14

4 p.m.: The Bears officially cut defensive tackle Eddie Goldman. Friday, sources said they’d made the decision.

1 p.m.: As new Bears general manager Ryan Poles continues to rework the roster, the team is getting younger — and possibly better — on the defensive line.

The Bears agreed to a three-year, $40.5 million deal with former Bengals defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi in the opening hours of free agency Monday, NFL Network reported. He’ll get $26.4 million guaranteed.

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March 11

5 p.m.: The Bears claimed running back Darrynton Evans, a third-round pick of the Titans just two years ago, off waivers. He has 16 career rushes for 61 yards.

3:30 p.m.: The Bears also plan to cut nose tackle Eddie Goldman, who had a disappointing 2021 and no longer fit their scheme.

11:30 a.m.: As expected, the Bears told running back Tarik Cohen they would be cutting him with an injury designation about a year-and-a-half after he tore knee ligaments returning a punt against the Falcons.

March 10

4 p.m.: In a franchise-altering move, the Bears agreed to trade edge rusher Khalil Mack, the face of the franchise, to the Chargers for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 sixth-rounder. Ryan Poles’ first major move as the Bears’ GM signified the start of a rebuild, while Mack’s Bears career ends as a risk worth taking.

March 8

5 p.m.: The Bears agreed to bring back center Sam Mustipher, tight end Jesper Horsted and guard Lachavious Simmons on one-year deals at the league minimum. All three are exclusive-rights free agents. Players with less than three seasons of experience must accept such contract tenders.

3 p.m.: The NFL’s deadline to apply the franchise tag came and went Wednesday without the Bears making anyone an offer. That means receiver Allen Robinson will hit free agency Monday after playing last year on the tag.

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LONDON — The owners of the Cubs said Wednesday that they will make a bid to buy Premier League club Chelsea.

The Ricketts family went public with its interest in the buyout with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich forced to sell up after he was sanctioned by the British government and banned by the Premier League.

In a statement released by a London-based communications firm, the Ricketts family said it was leading an investment group that will make its formal bid for the reigning world and European champions on Friday.

“As long-time operators of an iconic professional sports team, the Ricketts family and their partners understand the importance of investing for success on the pitch, while respecting the traditions of the club, the fans and the community,” the statement said. “We look forward to sharing further details of our plans in due course.”

The British government now has oversight of the buyout process which the Raine Group, an investment bank, has been working on since Abramovich last week announced, before having his assets frozen, that the west London club was up for sale.

Anther consortium weighing a bid features Todd Boehly, part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and Jonathan Goldstein, a London-based property investor who is CEO of Cain International.

British property developer Nick Candy has also expressed an interest in bidding.

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The Cubs have agreed to sign Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki to a five-year, $70 million contract, according to NBC Sports Chicago. USA Today Sports reported that the deal was worth $85 million.

Suzuki, 27, would add a power bat to a lineup short on true heart-of-the-order hitters. And at his age, with a five-year contract, Suzuki would likely still be in his prime when the Cubs’ young top prospects joined him in the big leagues.

According to MLB Network, the Padres, Dodgers, Red Sox, Giants and Mariners also were among the teams in the running to sign Suzuki.

He is projected to play right field for the Cubs and could take over the position currently held by Jason Heyward. Heyward has another two years and $44 million on his deal, but given his struggles offensively, Suzuki could be in line to win the spot on opening day.

The Cubs met with Suzuki on Tuesday to discuss a deal.

Suzuki made his pro debut in Japan at age 18 with the Hiroshima Carp in 2013. In his time with the Carp, Suzuki won three Gold Gloves, was named an All-Star four times and was named to the Best Nine Award five times.

Last year for Hiroshima, he hit 38 home runs and 88 RBI with a .317/.433/.636 slash line and was the Central League batting champion.

Contributing: USA Today Sports

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Two trades involving the Avalanche finally have roused an NHL trade market that had been eerily quiet for weeks.

The Avalanche and Wild’s like-for-like forward swap Tuesday — Tyson Jost for Nico Sturm — seems unlikely to affect the Blackhawks. But the Avalanche’s acquisition Monday of defenseman Josh Manson from the Ducks provides an interesting glimpse into Calvin de Haan’s potential value.

Manson and de Haan, after all, have some similarities. They’re both 30 and pending unrestricted free agents. De Haan’s salary-cap hit with 50% retained by the Hawks would be $2.275 million, just above Manson’s $2.05 million hit after the Ducks retained 50%.

Over the last three seasons, while each battled injuries, de Haan has tallied 21 points, 300 hits and 296 blocked shots and averaged 19:11 of ice time in 127 games, while Manson has tallied 25 points, 290 hits and 141 blocked shots and averaged 19:47 in 118 games. Both excel with defensive-zone puck retrievals but need assistance from a better puck-moving partner to exit the zone.

For Manson, the Ducks received a 2023 second-round pick and the rights to Drew Helleson, a defensive prospect drafted in the second round in 2020 whom they signed Tuesday.

That was an impressive haul, one which surely excited the Hawks. De Haan’s value won’t quite equal Manson’s, but it seems plausible that the Hawks could get the second- or third-round pick that, according to sources, they’ve established as their asking price for him.

Beyond cementing an asking-price precedent, though, the Manson trade could jump-start a domino effect of negotiations and trades on the defensive rental market.

With less than a week left until Monday’s trade deadline, there’s a ton of activity yet to happen on that front, with the market loaded with available defensemen and the league full of teams seeking defensive help.

The biggest holdup might be Jakub Chychrun, the Coyotes’ No. 1 defenseman and arguably the No. 1 player on the block. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported last week that the Bruins, Panthers, Blues, Kings, Hurricanes, Ducks and at least two other teams have been heavily involved in the Chychrun sweepstakes, which will require a massive package of assets to win. But Chychrun was ruled out Tuesday for two to four weeks with a lower-body injury, clouding the situation.

Beyond him, Seattle’s Mark Giordano and Montreal’s Ben Chiarot sit near the top of the defenseman trade board, while Philadelphia’s Justin Braun, Detroit’s Nick Leddy, Buffalo’s Colin Miller and Manson’s former Anaheim teammate Hampus Lindholm are also potentially available.

But only one team — if that — will land Chychrun, leaving all those others to turn to other options. And the Maple Leafs and Rangers also have indicated interest in bolstering their defenses. It won’t exactly be a buyer’s market despite the quantity of guys available.

That leads back to de Haan, who trails only Dominik Kubalik on the list of most likely Hawks to be traded.

The rumors are nothing new for him, considering he endured speculation throughout much of last season, too, while preparing to be exposed in the expansion draft. He hasn’t been made available to the media since Feb. 20, but Seth Jones — his pairing partner Tuesday against the Bruins and much of the season — said recently that “if he does move, hopefully he has a chance to win somewhere.”

The Hurricanes are one intriguing possible landing place, considering they’ve heavily scouted Hawks games lately and de Haan was part of their 2019 conference-finals run before being traded to the Hawks. The Bruins, Panthers and Leafs might make sense, as well.

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Jakeem Grant’s resurgence after getting traded to the Bears last season saved his career. While he isn’t returning this season, he did land a significant deal with the Browns.

Grant, a standout return specialist and intriguing wide receiver, agreed to a three-year, $18 million contract with the Browns late Tuesday, NFL Network reported.

He made the Pro Bowl as a returner after taking a punt back for a touchdown against the Packers. He also added nine catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns and rushed five times for 33 yards.

Grant told the Sun-Times in February he wanted to re-sign with the Bears and hoped to convince new coordinator Luke Getsy he could be a factor offensively.

“I think they’ll see what I bring to the table,” Grant said. “Getsy is a young guy who likes to throw the ball, so when he sees me, I think he’ll understand that I’m a guy who can get open, especially in the slot. We can get things moving downfield.”

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The Bears are slowly piecing together their roster in free agency and are expected to sign former Raiders linebacker Nicholas Morrow once players are eligible to do so Wednesday.

Morrow agreed to a deal Tuesday evening, NFL Network reported.

He made the Raiders’ roster as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and played 62 games for them over his first four seasons before missing all of 2021 with an ankle injury. He was designated to return late in the season, but never appeared in a game.

Morrow, 26, had 254 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions with the Raiders. He started 11 games in 2020.

The Bears could line him up with standout linebacker Roquan Smith as they revamp their defense under Matt Eberflus.

Morrow is the third free agent with whom the Bears have agreed to terms, joining defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and offensive guard/center Lucas Patrick. They also re-signed long snapper Patrick Scales to a one-year deal.

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Marc-Andre Fleury ended his recent slump in remarkable fashion Tuesday.

Hounded by the Bruins’ offense all night long, Fleury stopped 46 of 48 shots — including 21 of 21 in the second period alone — to carry the Blackhawks to an undeserved point in a 2-1 overtime loss.

By the time Fleury moved post to post to rob Brad Marchand late in the second period, then made two more saves after the ensuing faceoff, the United Center crowd of 19,629 was giving him a standing ovation every time.

“When he’s on like that, it’s fun to watch,” interim coach Derek King said. “He made some spectacular saves. The first game against Boston [last week], we deserved better. Tonight, they deserved better.”

The Bruins finally cracked Fleury in the third period, but Brandon Hagel tipped in a Caleb Jones shot to tie the score. The Hawks benefitted from a questionable goalie interference call in the final five minutes to successfully reach overtime before losing on a Matt Grzelcyk game-winner.

Fleury entered the game only 6-9-1 with an .892 save percentage since Jan. 20, which threatened to reduce his trade value at a critical time. But the nine scouts from opposing teams in the building surely forgot those concerns quickly.

As a team, though, the Hawks struggled mightily to get any traffic or pressure on Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark. They finished with only 20 shots on goal themselves.

Vlasic signs

Hawks defensive prospect Alex Vlasic didn’t take long to make a decision about his professional future.

Three days after his junior college season at Boston University ended, Vlasic signed his three-year entry-level NHL contract with the Hawks on Tuesday.

It carries an $824,000 salary-cap hit and starts immediately, with 2021-22 counting as Year 1. Vlasic, a Wilmette native, will join the Hawks on Thursday.

“It’s rare to find a player of Alex’s skill level and size and we look forward to him continuing his development path with our club,” general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “His steady development at [BU] was noticeable and encouraging as we chart his future with our team.”

Vlasic has grown to 212 pounds on his 6-6 frame and greatly improved his strength and physicality this season, developing into one of the better defensemen in college hockey. He told the Sun-Times in February that it was “eye-opening to me how much stronger I actually am than I thought I was.”

Prospect implications

Vlasic’s leap to the NHL will be a huge challenge, and it’s reasonable to expect some growing pains at first.

But it’s telling that the Hawks are adding him directly to their roster.

He clearly has been deemed one of the highest-priority defenseman prospects in the system, jumping the logjam of AHL guys — Ian Mitchell, Alec Regula, Jakub Galvas, Isaak Phillips, Wyatt Kalynuk and Nicolas Beaudin — in the hierarchy.

King said bluntly Monday that Kalynuk, Beaudin and Mitchell haven’t been called up to the NHL as much as the others this season because “they haven’t been playing as good as those guys.”

King later clarified that Mitchell is playing well while gaining experience as Rockford’s No. 1 defenseman, so he probably is exempt from that criticism.

Considering King’s words, as well as the sheer quantity of solid defensive prospects in the Hawks’ system (all of those guys plus Nolan Allan, Wyatt Kaiser and Ethan Del Mastro), Davidson may well be considering moving some of them to add more talent to the much-drier forward prospect pipeline.

That’s something to keep an eye on ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.

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The Bears already took Aaron Rodgers’ position coach. Now they’re poaching one of his offensive linemen.

Guard/center Lucas Patrick, who started 28 games over the past two seasons in Green Bay, is signing with the Bears on a two-year, $8 million deal, a source confirmed to the Sun-Times late Tuesday night. He’ll get $4 million guaranteed in Year 1. It’s unclear exactly where he’ll play with the Bears — the team watched guard James Daniels leave for the Steelers earlier Tuesday, while center Sam Mustipher has been below league-average the last two years.

Luke Getsy, the Bears’ new offensive coordinator, has a history with the 6-3, 313-pounder, who spent the last five years in Green Bay after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Duke.

New general manager Ryan Poles has been open about wanting to change the Bears’ offensive line. Tackles Germain Ifedi and Jason Peters figure to leave via free agency, and Daniels signed a three-year deal despite being one of the league’s youngest free agents. It’s unclear if Poles views former second-round pick Teven Jenkins as a guard or tackle.

Patrick, though, gives him some versatility as he examines the second wave of free agency this week.

Teams can’t make signings official until the start of the league year Wednesday afternoon.

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Bears general manager Ryan Poles inherited a team with a long list of deficiencies and has ample salary-cap space with which to address them.

So why isn’t he doing anything?

As other teams splashed money all over the place during the first two days of free agency, the Bears have been mostly quiet. They picked up former Bengals defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi on a three-year, $40.5 million deal Monday, but otherwise seem to be waiting for the market to get a little more manageable.

And that’s prudent of Poles. He seems smart enough to avoid the mistake his predecessor Ryan Pace made by failing to acknowledge that he had a mediocre team. Pace always thought the Bears were one or two big acquisitions away from being a championship contender and had no hesitation making win-now moves.

One of Poles’ strongest assets is that he came into this with clear eyes. He has no attachment to anything Pace and the previous administration built. That blueprint got everybody fired as the Bears tumbled to 6-11 last season.

The Bears hired Poles to clear out that mess, salvaging valuable pieces like Roquan Smith and Darnell Mooney along the way, and rebuild according to his own design. No one expects that to be a one-year turnaround.

Given that his first order of business was to trade star pass rusher Khalil Mack for draft picks, it’s obvious that Poles — even with all his ambition — knows this will be a gradual process.

In his various media appearances, he hasn’t hinted at a timeline. He hasn’t hinted at much of anything, really, because he’s trying to use unpredictability to his advantage.

The most he revealed as far as free agency is concerned was implying he was inclined to wait until players, “start to trickle down and the price points come down a little bit,” and he’d likely stay patient until “things settle down a little.”

But his moves, and non-moves, speak louder than any comment he could fire off at a press conference.

The Bears will start spending soon. They have to. With as many as 30 players leaving in free agency, they’ll need people just to fill out the roster.

Offensive guard James Daniels was the latest to leave when he agreed to a three-year, $26.5 million deal with the Steelers on Tuesday, NFL Network reported.

The Bears also re-signed long snapper Patrick Scales to a one-year deal, a source said.

Big picture: Poles must do what he can to facilitate a breakout season by quarterback Justin Fields, but not at the cost of hindering what he can do in 2023. The Bears have all their draft picks next year, and OverTheCap calculates them at $131.7 million in salary-cap space, which is second in the NFL. All the dead money from Pace’s tenure — the Bears have a league-high $45.1 million of it on the books this year — will be gone.

That’s when Poles can really start drawing up big ideas. If he’s impatient now, he’ll close the door on that opportunity.

So he’s likely to look for solid help at reasonable prices, particularly on the offensive line and at wide receiver.

The Jaguars ponied up a total of $121.5 million in their offers to wide receiver Christian Kirk and offensive guard Brandon Scherff. The Bears don’t want to get in that kind of bidding war.

Instead, shorter, modest deals for veteran receivers like Jarvis Landry and T.Y. Hilton would be more sensible because they won’t cramp Poles’ long-term plans.

His passivity in the early rush of free agency indicates this will probably be a transition season. The real fireworks likely are a year away. It’s hardly thrilling, but it makes sense.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — So Josh Harrison it is.

One of the biggest question marks of the offseason was who would assume the role of White Sox second baseman after Nick Madrigal was dealt for Craig Kimbrel at the trade deadline last season and Cesar Hernandez, acquired at the same time, was let go.

Harrison, who tuns 35 this season, is 10 years older than Madrigal, with two more All-Star selections on his resume, the reputation for being a good defender — something this team needed — and a hitter who slashed .279/.343/.402 since the Nationals acquired him during the 2020 season.

And character wise, Harrison should fit right in with a clubhouse full of characters and one with a chemistry general manager Rick Hahn has been intentional about maintaining.

“That’s the understatement of the season,” manager Tony La Russa said, hours after the Harrison signing a one-year, $5.5 million contract was made official Tuesday. “You know what’s a real good reputation? Every place you’ve ever been they all say the say thing about him. That’s Josh.”

A favorite of fans and teammates wherever he hung his spikes — Pirates, Nationals, Tigers or Athletics.

“That’s a guy we talked about [acquiring],” La Russa said. “He was a real good fit for us and it worked out. He’s what you look for. Competitor, teammate, knows how to win, all that stuff. Will do anything, play anywhere.”

And with a strikeout rate of 13.4 percent since 2020, makes competitive at-bats.

“He knows how to handle the bat,” La Russa said.

Under the terms of his deal, Harrison will receive $4 million in 2022 with the Sox holding a $5.5 million option for 2023 with a $1.5 million buyout. The Sox last year declined to pick up a $6 million option on Hernandez, who hit .232/.309/.299 after he was acquired from the Indians for Double-A pitching prospect Konnor Pilkington.

Harrison, who will maintain a larger presence than Hernandez, emerged from the Sox clubhouse shortly after La Russa’s first team speech of the spring — the manager waited for Abreu’s arrival to camp which was Tuesday — appropriately flanked by Abreu and shortstop Tim Anderson, who will border him on the infield as well. Harrison will also spell Yoan Moncada at third base and can play the corner outfield positions as well, with Leury Garcia getting games at second and perhaps Danny Mendick or Romy Gonzalez, depending on how the roster shakes out.

La Russa said third baseman Jake Burger, who has been working at second base to expand his horizons, will get looks at second base as well.

Versatility, for player and manager, “is a good problem to have,” La Russa said.

“I was taught to use the whole roster,” he said.

Being part of it appealed to Harrison during his free-agent process this offseason, which was put on hold during the lockout.

“They are built to win,” he said of a Sox team that, on paper, is considered among the top handful of teams by most forecasts. “It’s no secret to me. I played against them last year when I was traded to Oakland. I knew what they had. When we started talking it felt like a right place for me. Playing against these guys I could tell the energy was infectious. They play hard, they have fun.”

As for the reputation of good teammate, team player and all that, Harrison said it’s not something he’s intentional about building.

“But taking a step back, it’s something I don’t take lightly. I’ve been around different places but one thing I’m going to be is me. That’s just somebody that’s going to be on the team having fun, keeping things light and I want to win games. At the end of the day, everything on the field is going to take care of itself.”

“He competes,” La Russa said. “Every place he plays, they say the same [good] things about. You can write it in gold.”

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