Red Sox GM Ben Cherington (AP)

Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington held a conference call Thursday morning to explain what two of his recent roster moves would mean for the team going forward. On Tuesday, the Red Sox signed catcher Kelly Shoppach, who appeared in 87 games with the Rays during the 2011 season, to a one-year contract. The move seems to eliminate veteran backstop Jason Varitek as the primary backup to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, but, during the conference call, Cherington still expressed a desire to keep Varitek around the club.

“We just feel like Shop helps us strengthen the position overall and helps compliment Salty,” Cherington said. “As far as Tek is concerned, we have incredible respect for Tek. I have incredible respect on a personal level. We, as an organization and ownership, have incredible respect for him and the contributions he’s made. Our hope is that Tek will always be a part of the Red Sox in some way. As far as what that means immediately, what we want to do is keep talking to Tek and not discuss that in a public forum, but have an opportunity to continue talking to Tek and [agent Scott Boras] and figure out what’s best for the Red Sox and what’s best for him.”

- Cherington also discussed adding utility infielder Nick Punto, whom the Red Sox signed Wednesday, to the organization in order to strengthen play on the field and the dynamic within the clubhouse. Punto has seven seasons of American League experience, as he played for the Twins from 2004 – 2010. He spent last season with the World Series champion Cardinals with whom he played in 63 games, hit .278 and registered a .388 on-base percentage.

“Nick’s a guy we’ve had interest in in the past and the timing has never quite worked out to get him here,” Cherington said. “He’s a guy who plays really good defense, a smart baseball player. He gives you a good at-bat. He’s really good in the clubhouse. He’s just a smart, smart baseball player who understands his role on a winning team.”

- Cherington noted that, in light of the recent September collapse that sparked allegations of clubhouse disconnects, the Red Sox factor in clubhouse reputations in their discussions but do not use clubhouse character as a drive for their decisions.

“I think we felt that adding the guys that we’ve added, adding players who as a compliment are guys that get it and know how to win is important, but it’s just part of the equation,” Cherington said. “Nick’s a talented player too. He has good at-bats, plays good defense. He knows how to run the bases. He’s a smart player. He can play all over the infield and work in a lot of areas, so we’re just glad to have him. But the clubhouse dynamic is something that is an area of discussion but not necessarily the drive when we’re making these decisions.”

- Cherington noted that while the Red Sox believe recently acquired right-hander Mark Melancon could close for the team, the Red Sox are still leaving their options open as to who will pitch the ninth inning. Boston traded for Melancon on Wednesday, sending pitcher Kyle Weiland and infielder Jed Lowrie to the Astros in exchange for Melancon.

“We believe he’s definitely capable of closing and capable of pitching the ninth inning for us. But those are questions that [manager] Bobby [Valentine] and whoever else is the pitching coach, during Spring Training both will answer and figure out the right roles for,” Cherington said. “We feel pretty good about the way the back of the bullpen is shaping up. But there’s certainly time between now and Spring Training and we’re going to continue to look for ways to make the team better.”

- Cherington would not commit to who would close for the team at this point. He said that while the team prefers to have a definied closer before the start of the season, it is not a necessary requirement for Boston.

“I don’t think it’s completely necessary [to have a closer identified before Spring Training],” Cherington said. “We have in the past and there’s a couple years when we haven’t. I think that that we’d like to have a defined closer on Opening Day and we believe Melancon is fully capable of doing that. We’re willing to keep working on that and again, I think that Bobby will make those decisions with help from the pitching coach during Spring Training.”