Full Count
A Furiously Updated Red Sox Blog
WEEI.com Blog Network
RSS
Why re-signing Jason Varitek makes sense for Red Sox 12.02.10 at 4:55 pm ET
By Rob Bradford

It looks as though Jason Varitek will be returning to the Red Sox for another season. (AP)

According to a major league source, the Red Sox have come to terms on a one-year agreement with Jason Varitek that would pay the 38-year-old $2 million, with a chance to make $300,000 more in incentives. And while a case could be made that the Sox underestimated the value of Victor Martinez, allowing the catcher/DH to head to Detroit, the idea of re-signing of the captain as a short-term Plan B makes enough sense so that it shouldn’t be fodder for those December doubters.

Here are the reasons:

- First and foremost, keep in mind, once Martinez left, it had to be understood that the Red Sox most likely weren’t going to hit Opening Day with a game-changer at the catching position. So those who are up in arms about bringing back Varitek, save your breath for moves elsewhere in the lineup or bullpen that would be much closer to making or breaking the success of the team. The drama centering around this position wasn’t about who they were going to bring in now that Martinez is gone. It was, is, and will be about how effective Saltlamacchia can be.

- When looking at veteran backstops who could offer a buffer while it is determined whether or not Jarrod Saltalamacchia can be a major league starter, finding a head-and-shoulders option that wouldn’t necessitate more than a single year commitment was a tough one. Certainly, arguments could be made that the Sox should have gone after Miguel Olivo (32) or Rod Barajas (35). But we aren’t talking about such difference-makers that would necessitate ignoring what familiar qualities you would be getting with Varitek.

- Before getting hurt, Varitek showed signs that a limited role might actually be a decent fit. For the first two months of the season, he had the second-highest OPS of any catcher with more than 70 plate appearances. During that span, he also showed marked improvement hitting from the left side, totaling an .893 OPS (.299 better than V-Mart). We aren’t ignoring the fact that his swing-and-miss rate continues to go up (from 26 to 30 percent from ’09 to ’10), or that he isn’t nearly the catch-and-throw guy Saltalamacchia is. But, again, focusing on the “limited” in “limited role” these things negatives can be stomached when weighing them against the positives.

- If the combination of Saltalamacchia and Varitek wasn’t working out in the first few months, fixing the problem would be a bit more manageable than even 2010. The internal candidates will be a step closer, and notch better, than what the Sox were presented with in ’10. Closest is Mark Wagner is a good defensive catcher, who might be too limited offensively to be a long-term solution. But, as the season progresses, legitimate offensive options might be on the verge in the form of Luis Exposito and/or Ryan Lavarnway. In other words, if something did happen to Saltamacchia, the Red Sox could potentially have internal pieces which could split time with Varitek (at least until the trade market sorts itself out).

(Note: The free agent market following the 2011 season doesn’t look much better than this time around, with Yadier Molina and Kelly Shoppach both carrying club options and not much after that.)

- With a fairly new catcher (Saltalamacchia) and a new pitching coach (Curt Young) there is value in having Varitek supply the kind of bridge a newcomer might not be able to muster. Perhaps no more important part of that bridge will be working with Josh Beckett, whom has gone on record as saying he enjoys throwing to Varitek. (Note: In ’10, Beckett did have a 7.18 ERA in the six games he threw to Varitek, compared to the 5.11 he put up in 12 starts with Martinez.) It might be case where we aren’t talking about Varitek solely catching Beckett, but rather also helping Saltalamacchia further understand the righty. Saltalamacchia only caught Beckett once last season, with the hurler giving up four runs over seven innings. Martinez and former pitching coach John Farrell talked extensively about how V-Mart learned a different way of approaching a game-plan from Varitek, one with more structure, which is Beckett’s preference.

Print  |  Email  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • gerry kruz

    Throw in another mil and make him the bench coach.

  • http://LGiant4091@aol.com Larry from Newburyport

    Rob,
    Come on will you……? are you telling me that you wouldn’t rather have olivo,Barajas,or better yet Napoli?….the 2 mill has nothing to do with it..its chump change! ..the point is that he is taking up a roster spot just as Wakefield is…..they are both washed up!….

  • Steve

    38 year old catcher. He will be hurt within first month. Will miss a lot of time. Plan B?

  • http://www.weei.com Rob Bradford

    Larry,
    I’m with you with Napoli. Let’s see what happens as the season unfolds, or even next year. I would like to see how he holds up as a catcher. The reality is that they want to give Salty the chance to start, and if that’s the case, this wasn’t a bad way to go. If Salty doesn’t work out, and Napoli shows he can remain a viable everyday defensive catcher, then go for it.

  • KCF

    Larry from Newburyport,

    Right on the money, brother. Also, Varitek didn’t exactly “hit” last year. He batted .232, with a .293 OBP, 7 taters, 16 ribbies. Odd how the Sox can accept Varitek’s sub .300 OBP, but not Alex Gonzalez’s.

    Great handler of pitchers? Before Varitek got hurt, Beckett was simply awful. If we’re going to credit him with being such a great receiver, then he’s going to get some of the blame, when things go awry. Dice K also wanted to pitch to Varitek, and the results were mixed at best.

    Lester and Buchholz had great seasons – mostly with Victor Martinez behind the plate.

    Theo these days is like Varitek batting – in a slump.

  • StuAndrews

    Just think, Wake will be back Tek will be back…it’ll be like old times..real old times.

  • jimmy c

    While were at it, maybe Sam Malone could come back……………look, I gave Ep his props for what he contributed in 04 and 07. He will always be worshiped for that. But some of these more recent moves……..I mean c’mon. Salty is a big gamble with the staff we have needing to carry a big load and Varitek needs to go. I’ll applaud him on Old Timers Day, but this is dumb. We had all sorts of money for Drew, Lachey, and Scutaro, but we go cheap on Martinez? But hey, we got 2 more picks, so you can count on getting two more guys who are 5’9, 190, can’t hit for power, but they walk a lot!!!

  • Too early to judge

    If the sox hoard draft picks…then this is a disaster…

    But if they take the picks they will get from Martinez/Beltre…then use their number one pick to sign Crawford…then they can continue to sign type “A” free agents…Scott Downs…etc…and it won’t cost them a first rounder…they can “game” they system.

    Since Adam “frickin” Dunn got 4 years 52m…things are getting crazy…and he gets hurt every week…so maybe it is best to pay money for the top dogs…and skimp in a few places.

  • sportschick

    Do you people even THINK before you post?? Gerry Kruz: “throw in another mil and make him the bench coach.” He doesn’t want to BE A BENCH COACH.

    And don’t let the facts that Bradford laid out for you get in the way of your lack of knowledge about baseball. His OPS in 70 plate appearances BEFORE HE BROKE HIS FOOT was better than Martinez.

    The guy is in better shape than most players 10 years younger than him. How many times has he been hurt since he played for the Red Sox???? The times he WAS hurt, he BROKE SOMETHING. That has nothing to do with age.

    You don’t need a lot of offense out of the catching position, so WHY would you go out and get someone who is unfamiliar with the Red Sox pitching staff and pair him up with a brand new catcher??? Doesn’t it make sense to keep Varitek who, by the way, Saltalamacchia has publicly said he wants to work with, so that he can mentor the guy?? What are you going to do bring in an unfamiliar catcher to be a BACKUP because you are going to get a few more runs out of him?

    Go back in your mother’s basements and try and learn something.

  • Sam

    Right on sportschick. Salty was a top prospect. Maybe he’s a bust but he’s still relatively young with plenty of potential. Lets see if he can put it together for Boston. His ceiling is still Brian McCann numbers. Which would do a lot to make everyone forget about Vmart…also…Detroit said victor is going to play predominately at DH! Not catch. Look at his numbers. On a good day, he is a league average 1b. Ortiz is still a better DH than martinez. And martinez gave back some of his offense with his poor defensive play.

  • Robert Thacher

    It’s a mistake. It is time to say good bye to Tek and Wakefield, but the Sox just can’t seem to do it. Olivo’s 18 to 20 HR”s would have worked for me,or Buck before he bolted to the Marlins. They needed to make up for,or at least approch the offensive loss of Vmart and they have not done that. They did save money though,which should make us all feel warm and fuzzy.

  • Robert Thacher

    Sportschick, I read Bradfords numbers and if it turned out that way, I would be fine. But, Tek is nearly 40 and he did get hurt.Saltys overall numbers have been dropping since he was a rookie.For this to work,Tito has to stick with the platoon idea. None of this stuff with Beckert wanting to pitch to Tek,thus screwing up the platoon advantage.This is a reasonable gamble for a team that is satisfied to just “compete” this year.

  • auckie

    I have posted this before,but it appears to have more credence now.Tek is)was) being carried along to be groomed as a bench coach,orbullpen coach/and/ortrainer to new catchers, (starting last year,and shows again this year.this introduces a lost of faith in the future but nothing for now.Pitching and defense play a major role in games but neither can score runs.Run are neessary to win.errorless ballgames and shuouts still can lose 1 to 0.I don’t see any REd sox offense next year without a big batsigning to be placed somewhere in the line-up..all the weight is placed upon papi and youk,with Beltre and martinez gone.and the other teams know it.what team or who’s going to pitch “TO” them?RUn production will have to be next year’s plan,but how to do that is at best guessing

  • http://www.kipptyupp.com deedydoodoo

    So the end is near and so i bid….

  • http://www.squidoo.com/scooby-doo-toys-top-5 scooby doo toys

    Hi. I wished to drop you a fast note to express my thanks. Ive been following your blog for a month or so and have picked up a ton of excellent information and enjoyed the approach youve structured your site. I’m trying to run my very own blog however I assume its too general and I want to focus on additional smaller topics. Being all things to any or all individuals isn’t all that its cracked up to be

  • http://stylewweathervane.multiply.com/journal/item/1/Weathervane_Top_Of_The_Line weathervane

    Appreciating the time and energy you put into your blog and detailed information you offer. It’s awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed material. Fantastic read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

05/25/2012
Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays - Fenway Park, Boston, MA
[find tickets]
05/26/2012
Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays - Fenway Park, Boston, MA
[find tickets]
05/27/2012
Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays - Fenway Park, Boston, MA
[find tickets]

Red Sox Box Score
Red Sox Headlines
Red Sox Minor League News
Red Sox Team Leaders
MLB Headlines
Tips & Feedback

Verify