Jason Varitek’s Socks Will Still Be Red!

Red Sox fans can now call their catcher “Captain Jason Varitek” once again! According to various news sources, the former Boston catcher has accepted an agreement from the Red Sox and will still be wearing “red socks” for at least one more season. Jon Heyman of SI.com is reporting both sides have reached an agreement on a two-year deal. The first year will be worth $5MM, while the second year includes an option and incentives possibly worth another $5MM for the 2010 season.

The news comes after months of negotiations between Varitek and Red Sox officials. Varitek filed for free agency back on October 31st, 2008 almost three months ago.

It appears as though no specific time was set by either side, however it was made apparent that the Red Sox  wanted an answer by today’s end. Boston.com has reported that the Red Sox actually sent Varitek and his agent a letter via registered mail, serving him with an ultimatum.

An official announcement is expected to be made after Varitek undergoes a physical abiding to Red Sox policies.

Many fans and players including Curt Schilling had hoped for the catcher to return to his home behind the plate despite his lower-than-usual offensive numbers last season.

Jason Varitek was a Type A free agent who rejected the Red Sox’ arbitration offer earlier this offseason. He started 120 games for the Red Sox in 2008, his lowest number of career starts recorded – except in 2006 when injuries played a role.

Decision Time For Jason Varitek

Baseball fans across the country will possibly know by this afternoon if free agent catcher Jason Varitek will play another season with the Boston Red Sox. Varitek is expected to make a decision about continuing his career as a catcher in a Boston uniform or possibly sitting out the 2009 season, which may lead to his retirement according various sources.

The Boston Globe is reporting that Varitek has until 11:30 A.M. EST today to make his final decision. However, ESPN’s Jayson Stark just reported at 11:40 A.M. EST. that the 11:30 deadline (which has now passed) was nothing but a “media creation”.

It has also been said that Varitek is seriously considering sitting out the 2009 season or just hanging up the spikes on his career. Either way a decision is expected to come very soon!

The Red Sox have offered the catcher a 1-year $5MM contract that still remains on the table.

Jason Varitek is a Type A free agent who rejected the Red Sox’ arbitration offer earlier this offseason. He started 120 games for the Red Sox in 2008, his lowest number of career starts recorded – except in 2006 when injuries played a role.

Pitchers and catchers are due to report to Spring Training on Feb. 12.

Developing Story…..

Arizona Diamondbacks To Sign Jon Garland

The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with right handed pitcher and free agent Jon Garland. The deal which includes an option in 2010 is said to be in the 1-year, $6 million to $8 million range.

According to the Arizona Republic, both sides spoke about a similar deal in a meeting last week. The contract is now pending on a physical. Garland is currently a type B free agent and has a career ERA of 4.47 over 1,625 total innings pitched.

Adding Garland to the Diamondback rotation will provide more support in behind starters Brandon Webb and Dan Haren.

Red Sox Give Jason Varitek Saturday Deadline

After previous reports were made about the Red Sox making a formal offer to Jason Varitek that supposedly included a deadline, we now know that the former Boston catcher has until Saturday to accept or reject that particular offer. According to the Boston Herald the Red Sox have set a Saturday deadline for Varitek to come to terms on a one-year, $5MM offer. The deal would include a second year with options in 2010.

Varitek is a Type A free agent who rejected the Red Sox’ arbitration offer earlier this offseason. He started 120 games for the Red Sox in 2008, his lowest number of career starts recorded – except in 2006 when injuries played a role.

Varitek and the Red Sox organization have been speaking about his possible return since early November. Even though Varitek will most likely accept an offer as no other teams are currently labeled as suitors-most Red Sox fans are hoping that “tek” will ink his way behind the plate for 2009.

Yankees Get Serious And Sign Andy Pettitte

According to various news sources including Jon Heyman of SI.com, reports that the New York Yankees are currently engaged in serious conversation with Andy Pettitte have begun to surface just like Joe Torre’s negative book.

Pettitte recently turned down a $10MM single year deal from the Yankees-a deal that remained on the table for almost two months.

Heyman is expecting Pettitte to accept a lower offer than the previous offer of $10MM from the Yanks since he did indeed reject that previous offer. Pettitte earned $16MM with the Yankees last year, and most likely was not expecting a pay cut. As the free-agent market continues to dwindle and time runs out, Pettitte and agent Alan Hendricks may be forced to soon settle with lower numbers.

Other free-agents such as Ben Sheets, Oliver Perez, Jason Varitek, and Manny Ramirez still have not agreed to a dime. It is now crunch time! Look for Pettitte and Varitek to kick off an interesting week!

UPDATE: 1:00 PM EST- Other reports have stated that Pettitte’s deal could be worth $6MM with another $6MM coming as incentives. Will Andy Pettitte get more than his previous offer? If it was any other team but the Yankees, I would say no. A deal is expected to be made any minute now.

New York Mets Add Sugar To Oliver Perez Offer

Since Derek Lowe has officially been snatched off the radar, the New York Mets were expected to zero in on starting pitcher Oliver Perez-a promise they have intended to keep. It has been reported that the Mets may have added more money or another year to the 3-year, $30MM money bag that continues to sit on the table for Perez.

Speculation also places the Mets interest in signing starter Andy Pettitte. However, mutual talks and negotiations between the Yankees and Pettitte still remain apparent. The Yanks have made a 1-year offer to Pettitte in the $10MM range, a pay cut from his $16MM earnings last season. Pettitte has not budged on the offer. How can you blame him? Maybe.

With the recent addition of Tim Redding and Freddy Garcia, adding Perez could just be the reinsurance the Mets had hoped to add to the depth of their rotation.

Ben Sheets is also part of the mix, reportedly a possible signee by both New York clubs. With pitchers and catchers due to Spring Training in just a few weeks, this could be one crazy week for all of those free agents still floating on the market.

Red Sox Make Offer To Jason Varitek With Deadline

The Red Sox have made it clear that it is “now or never” for catcher Jason Vartiek. According to various news sources the Boston Red Sox have formally made an offer to Varitek, that includes a deadline. The offer is expected to be worth $8-10 million over two years including a club option for $5 million or a $3 million player option for the 2010 season. Details about the deadline have not yet been released.

The offer comes after Varitek and Red Sox owner John Henry took part in a meeting on January 16th. The meeting was initiated by Varitek and agent Scott Boras to discuss the catcher’s future in Boston.

Jason Varitek is a Type A free agent who rejected the Red Sox’ arbitration offer earilier this offseason. He started 120 games for the Red Sox in 2008, his lowest number of career starts recorded – except in 2006 when injuries played a role.

Pitchers and catchers are due to report to Spring Training on Feb. 12.

Why the World Baseball Classic Truly is Classic

There are a lot of naysayers out there that claim the World Baseball Classic (WBC) to be, well, not very classic. On the flip side, there are also many people that love it. Let’s examine both sides, first we look at the camp that argues against the WBC.

Here are the main arguments against the WBC that I hear along with my counter points:

• Not ALL the best players for each country are participating.

To this I ask, is EVERY best player in the U.S. major leagues? The answer is a resounding NO! There are very gifted players in Japan, and many of the Latin American leagues (Cuba), that consist of players that are better than most of the players in the MLB. Does that stop us from watching MLB?

The other rebuttal to this argument is that sure, Ryan Howard turned down his invite, but the large majority of participating teams have all star lineups regardless of holdouts like Howard for the US. I mean just read through the WBC rosters of countries like the US, Venezuela, DR, Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico, etc. These are some of the BEST teams I have ever seen. If they were given the opportunity to play together for an entire season with a stable coaching staff I have no doubts that many of these teams would be off the Richter scale!

You can still go to a WBC game and see Miguel Cabrera, Johan Santana, Abreu, Zambrano, Ordonez and more do battle with a lineup that includes Peavy, Jeter, Chipper, Braun, and Oswalt. And I guarantee you that the intensity in these matchups far exceeds that of the All-Star game!

• It is too much of an injury risk for players.

This is a valid point, if you look at what happened statistically; to many of the pitchers from the first classic you have some good figures to back this up. There were high profile cases like Jake Peavy, who had a terrible April and sub .500 season for the Padres following his performance in the WBC. I feel that this is one of those things that will be worked out with better scheduling, stricter pitch counts, and expanded rosters to accommodate more pitchers who will throw less innings. Hitters seemed to be fine overall and actually better prepared to start the season having come off of competitive games against MLB caliber pitching. And everyone agrees that you cannot trace all injuries in 2006 to the WBC.

• The rules of the WBC do not make sense.

One of these rules is the timing of the WBC, which many agree should and will be adjusted eventually. But remember that this is a brand spanking new tournament and that it will evolve dramatically in the coming years. They are bound to have many things that they did not do right, but as long as they continue to evaluate and learn from those mistakes these things will work themselves out. MLB did not start off perfect and has evolved and adapted over time too. One of the lame rules that I feel will change eventually is the one that allows players who were not born in a country play for that country, think A-Rod playing for the DR (like they need any more all-stars on their roster!). To me it’s about national pride. It’s OK to be proud of having Dominican roots, but for crying out loud be proud of the country that has raised you and influenced you the most!

• The games are boring; TV viewership was low because no one in the US cares.

Well I will tell you who in the US cares, Jake Peavy cares! He proudly pitched for the US in 2006 and was criticized because he had a terrible season after that. You think that he even debated whether or not to participate this time around, NO! He is proud to be a part of the intensity and pride that is part of the WBC. I’ll tell you who else cares a whole lot, Latin and Latin American fans! People in the US have lost a bit of their baseball soul over the years. In Latin American countries baseball in many ways is still a very pure game, where players play for personal, team, and county pride without a huge pay check as the incentive!
I was fortunate enough to attend the semi-finals and finals at Petco park in 2006. And I can tell you that those were some of the best, most intense, games I have EVER been too. The only exception is a playoff game in which your favorite team is part of. But the foreign fans were great. There were beautiful Latin women dancing, faces painted everywhere, horns, trumpets, guitars, songs, chants, cheers, boos, and overall celebration of the game! It was like one gigantic baseball party. I will tell you that the Latin, and at many times even the Asian fans, made US baseball fans seem like disinterested buttoned-up conservative dorks. We can learn a lot from the foreign fans about how to enjoy a baseball game.

Overall, the league is new and we all have to remember that. Is it perfect in its current state, certainly not. But overall it is a very good thing for baseball and its fans. It contains world class talent no matter what the timing or risk of injury. It provides us with great baseball to watch in March. It expands baseball’s reach globally and fosters national pride. I for one look forward to watching many more World Baseball Classic’s to come along with my kids, and am holding on to all of my souvenirs and memories from the inaugural WBC.

Phillies Chasing After Moises Alou

Recent reports surfacing over the last few weeks have identified Nomar Garciaparra as a possible candidate to join the Philadelphia Phillies roster this offseason.

However, as talks continue, Nomar is still undecided whether or not he wants to hang up the spikes on his career.As the waiting game continues, reports are now beginning to confirm the World Champion Phillies may be interested in LF Moises Alou to fill one of these final reserve positions.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. confirmed that the Philles are indeed interested in Alou.

The team is currently searching for a strong right-handed bat who could be used off the bench whenever needed. With the degree of uncertainty about Nomar continuing his professional career, the Phillies are beginning to focus elsewhere.

Alou has spent the last two years with the New York Mets before becoming a free agent this offseason. In 2008, Moises saw 49 appearances at the plate—17 of which were scored as hits. The left fielder is also expected to play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic this coming March.

Other players possibly on the Phillies list include free agents Mark Grudzielanek, Rich Aurilia, and Kevin Millar.

New York Mets Net Freddy Garcia

The Mets have beat the New York Yankees to the plate, landing free-agent pitcher Freddy Garcia to a minor-league deal according to multiple sources. Earlier this week, various reporters such as Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports spoke about the Mets and Yankees emerging as the front runners for acquiring Garcia. If Garcia can make the Mets’ squad for 2009, it is believed he can earn up to $8MM after reaching other incentives.

Garcia is a 10-year veteran who signed a minor-league contract last year with the Detroit Tigers. He made only three appearances late in the season and only recorded a single win. In his 10-year career, Garcia has pitched a total of 238 innings and has an earned ERA of 3.05.

With the signing of Garcia, other pitchers such as Oliver Perez, Ben Sheets and Randy Wolf still remain on the list for the Mets who are in hopes of adding another big name starter to their rotation. Sources last week said that Mets GM Omar Minaya would have rather signed Oliver Perez than Derek Lowe. Interesting…eh?

Garcia will compete for a rotation spot during Spring Training.

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