By | at
According to Ian Browne of MLB.com, the Red Sox are still pursuing free agent catcher Jason Varitek.
"There’s still some unfinished business," Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said Thursday. "Jason is still out there. As I said at the beginning of the offseason, he’s been a really important guy here to this organization and by no means have we shut the door on him." Varitek hit .220 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI last season and made $10.4MM. He’s definitely in line for a pay cut.
By Cork Gaines | at
7:21pm Here is a link to the actual radio clip.
6:01pm Chad Finn of the Boston Globe recaps Peter Gammons’ appearance today on WEEI.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
By Ben Jones | at
Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal believes the Boston Red Sox and the team’s veteran catcher, Jason Varitek, who is currently a free agent, are working on a short-term deal, possibly two years.
Barbarisi writes how the Red Sox usually do not sign aging veterans, so re-signing Varitek would be a catch-22, the title of the article.
Varitek, 36, is looking for a four-year deal worth $40MM, though it’s rather unlikely he’ll receive one, Barbarisi notes.
From Barbarisi:
“By the numbers, veteran players producing at (Varitek’s) level were generally paid between $2MM to $5MM by their teams in 2008, with the exception of the Yankees’ (Ivan) Rodriguez. If Varitek’s price were to drop that low, the Red Sox would probably be happy to bring him back for at least two more years. But if Varitek and Boras stick to their initial demands, the Red Sox will probably go another way and end up with the same production for half the cost.”
By Tim Dierkes | at
Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe confirms that catcher Josh Bard signed with the Red Sox for $1.7MM. He says there’s another $800K or so in incentives, though most of the contract is non-guaranteed. Massarotti adds that the signing "in no way eliminates the chance of Jason Varitek returning to the club in 2009." We still haven’t heard a clear suitor for Varitek, who’ll cost a draft pick to sign.
By Ben Jones | at
9:59pm: Ian Browne of MLB.com weighs in on Bard. He discusses the catching situation, and in particular, how the Red Sox will use Bard if free-agent Jason Varitek returns to the franchise.
SI.com points out Penny’s Interleague numbers: 7-11 with a 5.08 ERA in 24 appearances against American League opponents. Penny has spent his entire career in the National League.
8:41pm: Rob Bradford of WEEI.com spoke with Brad Penny, who confirmed his deal with the Boston Red Sox.
From Bradford:
“There were a lot of teams involved,” said Penny in a phone conversation. “But I wanted to go somewhere where I knew we had a great chance at winning, and Boston is that place.”
Bradford adds that Penny will be in Boston on Jan. 7 to take his physical and will begin his throwing program next week.
Bradford also updates the status of Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, who has started exercises on his throwing shoulder, which is earlier than in years past. Bradford’s post states that the injury that plagued Beckett at the end of the 2008 season has subsided. The injury centered around the intercostal muscles near the ribs and not the oblique as previously thought.
7:33pm: Free-agent catcher Josh Bard has reached a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox, Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald and Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe are reporting.
The Bard agreement is a nonguaranteed major-league deal worth $1.6MM. According to McAdam, Bard is viewed as a backup, but he could see more time depending upon what Boston decides to do at catcher.
Bard, 31 in March, spent seven games with the Red Sox in 2006 before Boston traded him to the Padres. He hit .202 in 57 games with San Diego in 2008.
McAdam has more on the Brad Penny deal, too. The agreement, a one-year deal with a base salary of $5MM, will be finalized Monday. Incentives and performance bonuses can increase the total deal another $3MM if Penny pitches more than 160 innings, McAdam reports.
Penny, 31 in May, went 6-9 with a 6.27 ERA in 17 starts and two relief appearances in 2008 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander played 4.5 seasons for the Dodgers. He played with the Florida Marlins from 2000 until he was traded in 2004.
With the addition of Penny, the Boston rotation now consists of Penny, Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jon Lester.
The move also allows righty Justin Masterson to remain in a setup role for closer Jonathan Papelbon.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
According to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox and Scott Boras "continue to exchange ideas on Jason Varitek’s potential return."
If the sides don’t reach an agreement, Benjamin writes that the Red Sox would still like to trade for a catcher, but a team source said no trades are imminent. The price remains high for teams in need of catching help and the Red Sox are reluctant to deal Clay Buchholz.
By Tim Dierkes | at
The latest hot stove info from Ken Rosenthal…
By Tim Dierkes | at
Yesterday Scott Boras was asked how serious the Red Sox are about keeping Jason Varitek. His reply: "Well, when a Major League team approaches you about a player and offers a contract then I guess that’s serious."
However, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe talked to a source who said the only offer Varitek has received from the Red Sox was the arbitration offer he declined. But then Theo Epstein said today that he made offers to three free agents, Tek among them.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Scott Boras held court with the media in Las Vegas this evening. Here’s the full transcript. Amy Nelson described the scene.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald talked to Scott Boras, who said the Tigers’ acquisition of Gerald Laird actually improves Jason Varitek’s prospects. Perhaps Boras is implying that the Rangers are now less likely to deal an additional catcher. But it’s still hard to figure out which team would be willing to give Varitek a decent-sized multiyear deal and surrender a draft pick.
Silverman runs through a slew of catchers the Red Sox like. Jack Magruder says they could be a serious player for Arizona’s Miguel Montero.
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