The Red Sox May Offer Varitek Arbitration
November 27, 2008 by Ribbie3b
Filed under Breaking Baseball News, Top Stories
The Red Sox are possibly still interested in bringing back All-Star catcher Jason Varitek. Varitek filed for free agency for the first time in 11 years at the end of the 2008 season.
According to MLBTradeRumors.com and other news sources, the Red Sox are expected to offer Jason Varitek arbitration.
In return, the ‘Sox would get two first round picks if the catcher was to sign with a different team. If the arbitration offer is accepted, Varitek would be wearing a Boston Red Sox jersey for at least one more season.
Scott Boras, Jason Varitek’s agent has expressed his concern with playing full-time. Varitek started 120 games for the Red Sox in 2008, his lowest number of starts recorded, except in 2006 when injuries played a role.
The Red Sox organization has not spoken a word to the Media or Varitek.
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Loading ...Updated Friday, November 28, 2008 11:45 EST.
In my eyes this is a win-win for the Red Sox. If they do not come to terms with Varitek they just require younger talent. Boston can survive without Varitek if you ask me!
It would appear that Theo knows more than one way to skin a fat cat like Boras.
I am a huge sox fan however I want to see Tek either sing a short deal or hit the road. I think we can win with or with-out him. PLUS anytime you can hit the pocketbook of BORAS I’m all for it.
I HATE SCOTT BORAS!!!!!!!!!!!!
LETS GO RED SOX
It is not a matter of Boston surviving with or w/out Tek. Let make the right choice. I am a huge fan of Tek and I think he still has plenty of game left. We need our leader back. Sign Tek!!!!
well it’s the second time Varitek is a free agent he signed the previous free agent contract for these last 4 years on Christmas eve for the 40 mill and 4 yrs Now it’s time for the Sox to move on if any deal is longer than 2 yrs I like the idea of offering him arbitration he should get the same money about 10 mill and the Sox will benefit either way either he’s here for a short stint and the possibility of going through the same process next year or 2 draft choices and also the ball is in Varitek’s [or Boras's] court It gives the Sox the leverage to bring him back on their terms
The Sox should bring Tek back. He’s got 3 good years left in him and his bat will come around. Pick up a young catcher with potential and hope the experience of working with Tek pays off.
I think it would be a big mistake not to sign Tek, he is awesome and we need him.
$10 million , 2 years [5M per Yr.] , loaded with incentives to possibly double the [annual] amount.
i.e., 130 games,bat .280+, 20 HR,75 RBI, throw out a higher % of base stealers,etc
Personally I think they should sign Tek and in the meanwhile look for a young catcher that he can share his knowledge with. I’d love to see Tek come back in come capacity as a coach for the minor league teams as well.
Tek has been a huge part of the Red Sox success over the years. I think it would be VERY stupid move to not accommodate his offer. No Brainer!
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Thank you. RBI Magazine Staff
We need Tek. There is no catcher that can call a game like Tek. His bat will come around. When will the players see it’s about Boras not them !
Scott Boras is the worse thing for baseball!! Not only does he overinflate the worth of players, he makes it hatdrt for a player to stay loyal to a team. The Sox will benefit from Varitek’s services, but will Boras have him tank on the team just like Ramirez did if the don’t agree to the agent’s terms? Mark Wagner looks like he could step into Varitek’s cleats and evolve into a decent catcher at the big league level.
I think the Red Sox would be very foolish to give Tek up nomatter what the circumstances, and the offer of 1 year was an insult to such a magnificent player! I have never seen a better catcher in the MLB. I agree with Dianne; they should keep him and when he retires make him a coach for new young catchers, what a great asset that would be! He has had a lot of turmoil in his life this past year, and now that it is coming to an end, after all the years with the Sox, he deserves another chance!
I’d love to see the Sox resign Tek for at least two more years. Pick-up two young catchers and have them work with Tek and share his vast knowledge of the game. Having Tek as our catcher as well as having Tek mentor two young prospects would be a win/win for the Sox and the MLB all in one. As an elder statesmen of the Sox, Tek has as much potential as a player/coach as anyone else on the team. One bad offensive year should not spell the end of his career with the Sox. Tek should retire as a member of the Boston Red Sox!!
Looking at these past comments, there are some very knowledgable writers to this site. The key here. is to get Varitek for the short term. Two years is perfect, just like Paul K Ryan said. $10 Mill over two years with a contract loaded with incentives should do the trick. The funny thing about Boros is that I truly believe he was the whole mastermind behind the Manny situation, and that Manny would have stayed in Boston. If that had been the case, we would have won another title. That’s how much we missed him. He is in fact, THE MOST INTIMIDATING right handed bat in the game today. Better than ARod or Pujols. But…….Boros wanted his cut. In the meantime, Boros is going to all he can to get Texeira to the Sox. He is a weird agent.
Hey Stuart,
What else can I say? You hammer this one home! He is the most intimidating right handed bat in the game….Boros seems to be half and half. He wants his cut but he also wants Varitek to be with the Red Sox.
It seems that most are in agreement that the Sox should sign him at leastr for thr short run. after all the good he has done for our club, I also think he deserves to stay in Boston and lets just see if last years offense was just a fluke as i think. he is so great a defensive catcher that is a switch hitter and loves our team and that is my two cents worth folks………………………………………………………..Kevin
Varitek to play against left handed pitchers only so he can bat right handed, Salty to play against right handers, and Cash plays when Wake pitches. No need for Teixera b/c Salty can also pay at first and Youk is nearly MVP.
TEK WILL BE BACK ALWAYS THINK POSITIVE
If A.J. Burnett is acquired by the Red Sox (and this is a WHAT IF statement) before Varitek, how much of an impact will this have on a deal with Varitek?
It seems every year the Sox boot out my favorite player. Trot, now Jason. I keep trying to adjust but it’s getting frustrating. As an elder fan, I ask that you give Jason precisely what he wants. What ever happened to rewarding skill, loyalty and fan favorites? Please, let him play, then let him coach. Give the man his (deserved) dignity.
We MUST sign Varitek !! No brainer,we have no other choice if we want to continue to have a well-oiled machine as we have had in our Red Sox. 3 years is not a bad stint to contract him for, if his bat improves. He is the Cheese!! Red Sox baseball must stay strong and competitive, to do this successfully is to employ the very best for your team, and your staff. Jason is a Guru, he knows how to get what he wants from his team. I do not want to start my baseball season watching some new bumbling kid trying to hold things together behind the plate, because they did not want to make a deal. And that lecture goes for Theo AND for Jason…they both need to examine the facts. Jason is no longer a young kid, but his is in top shape & does his job as Catcher (& Captain) very well. BEWARE Jason…..Pride is an ugly thing & can make people do unreasonable things. Now Theo,sign Tek for 3 years because he is Strong and amazing!! Greed is also an ugly thing & can make people do unreasonable things. (That point was for Epstein and Boras) We want our Captain, and not for just one measley year, that is sucky. BRING BACK TEK !!
Well Said !! Re-Sign TEK. We have kids out on the field, where we need them, and we need a man behind the plate - where experience counts. Just sign the man for 2-3 years & pay him. We don’t want some new kid.
Jason needs to come back.. I appreciate the NEW OWNERS want to win the World Series again–but they have a better chance with Tek than without him. They are willing to spend millions for Dice-K, but what about the man that called his games and helped him familiarize himself with the way the game is played here in the States. He even wrote on his hand and wrist to help the man who didn’t speak much English. Now the Sox have paid for another player form Japan. What about Tek????
Ann
Get over the Manny Ramirez crap already. If I have to hear how he “dogged it” one more time I am going to scream. His numbers are still better than most in baseball so if that is an example of him “dogging it” I still rather him on then off the team. Shut up already!
Are you Kidding! This man deserves many more years here in Boston. Why do we as Fans think it’s OK to say he only deserves another year and some young kids to pick his brain and gain his knowledge of the Game. He is the Foundation on which this Club Plays. Did he have a bad year, Yes, Personal Problems, Yes, who wouldn’t. The media has had a field day with all of this. The fact is that this Club needs him. It is not his BAT that we depend on, it’s what he does behind Home plate, behind the scene, in the Clubhouse, Dugout and everywhere else. How many countless hours, Days, or Years does this man have to devote in order to receive the Recognition and Compensation he deserves. WAKE UP THEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lets not make ANOTHER MISTAKE!!!!!!!!
Lose Tek, you lose your TEAM ! He runs that club like a well oiled machine. Time to smell the roses, Theo . Tito, probably had no say, and you should know better by now. I have been a fan since I was six years old, and I am now 77. Do yourself a favor, keep our Captain, he does a very good job. Let Boras, peddle his paper somewhere else. You made ONE big mistake, don’t make another. ’nuff said !
Varitek is done… Holding on to a guy like that is a bad idea. He may come around but we can’t afford another season like the last out of him. He is great with the pitching staff but that doesn’t keep you on a team, maybe as a coach down the road. I think Kevin Cash proved himself enough to make a bid for starting catcher, he hit better, and he didn’t do a bad job behind the plate. If not Cash then, let’s get a veteran like Ivan Rodriguez, and get a young back-up to learn from one of the best ever.
WHEN IT COMES TO JASON VARITEK I THINK I SPEAK FROM WHERE I COME. I HAVE KNOW JASON SINCE HE WAS 10 YEARS OLD AND THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE DESERVING MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE BIG MONEY THEY ARE PAID. HE IS ONE OF THE GREAT STUDENTS OF THE GAME AND HIS SUCCESS DID NOT COME EASY FOR HIM. I REMEMBER HIM IN HIGH SCHOOL WHEN THE TEAM WOULD LEAVE AFTER PRACTICE THERE WAS JASON HITTING OFF A TEE INTO THE NET OR HAVING ONE OF HIS TEAMMATES THROUGH BALLS IN THE DIRT SO HE COULD PRACTICE BLOCKING THEM. HOW MANY PLAYERS PLAYED IN AND WON THE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES, FLORIDA 6-A STATE HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPS. USA TODAY NATIONAL CHAMPS (HIGH SCHOOL), COLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR TWICE AT GEORGIA TECH, PLAYED IN THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES, MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES OLYMPIC TEAM AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST THE GRAND PRIZE TWO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH THE SOX. I DON’T CARE IF JASON VARITEK SAT ON THE BENCH ALL YEAR FOR THE RED SOX HE WOULD BE WORTH WHATEVER MONEY HE ENDS UP BEING PAID. SURE HE IS GETTING A LITTLE OLDER BUT AREN’T WE ALL. IF HE GETS WITH THE RIGHT HITTING INSTRUCTOR THAT CAN GET HIS BAT INTO THE ZONE SOONER HE WILL HIT 275 WITH 20 HOMERS AND HIS VALUE TO THE PITCHING STAFF IS OFF THE CHARTS.
[...] Magazine conducted a poll when we first heard about Varitek’s situation. Out of 584 total votes; 78% (457) believed [...]