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.”