Jason Varitek

No Roster Moves Imminent For Red Sox

By Zachary Links | May 13, 2011 at 9:07pm CDT

While the Red Sox's struggles so far this season have not been lost on GM Theo Epstein, the club doesn't plan to make any major moves at this time, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. Even though there still areas in which the club can improve, any additions likely will have to come from within the organization until after June 1st.

“A lot of it is dictated by opportunity,” the GM said. “You’re not going to make a blockbuster trade in April, for the most part, or May. Usually that’s something for the middle third of the season.”

The Red Sox could likely use an upgrade behind the plate, but Epstein isn't terribly concerned, citing that other clubs aren't receiving high offensive production from their catchers either. Backstops Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek have a combined slash line of .181/.246/.244 thus far.

East Notes: Wright, Salty, Bixler, A-Rod

By Dan Mennella | April 22, 2011 at 6:21pm CDT

Rainfall on the East Coast has already postponed a couple games on Friday night, but here's some items of note to hold you over …

Mets third baseman David Wright's days in New York may be winding down, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets, who may be in full-on rebuild mode as soon as midseason, could opt to trade Wright because he is signed to team-favorable terms through 2013 and would therefore yield a better haul in a trade than Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran or Francisco Rodriguez, writes Rubin. That the Mets could entertain this is indicative of how far they've fallen the past couple years; it once seemed likely Wright would spend his entire career in Queens.
Red Sox catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek have struggled so far this season, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com, but with underwhelming and unready in-house options and limited trade or free-agent targets out there, a move is not imminent. Bengie Molina, 36, is still unsigned, but as Speier points out, would he be much of an improvement?
The Nationals have purchased the contract of infielder Brian Bixler from Triple-A Syracuse, tweets Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com. A corresponding move on the 40-man roster was to be announced. Bixler, a second-round pick of the Pirates in 2004 out of Eastern Michigan, last appeared in the bigs in 2009. In 166 career plate appearances, he has a .178/.238/.237 line.
Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has hired Steve Loy of Gaylord Sports Management to handle his marketing. As our Agency Tracker shows, A-Rod has not officially announced an agent since parting ways with Scott Boras, and he may not need one for a while considering he's signed through age 42. For a complete list of Scott Boras clients, click here.

Quick Hits: Putz, Castillo, Varitek, Pirates, Ortiz

By Zachary Links | March 19, 2011 at 10:30pm CDT

Links for Saturday evening..

New to Arizona, J.J. Putz tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he's a perfect fit for the Diamondbacks.
Second baseman Josh Barfield is competing for a utility spot on the Phillies but isn't concerned with talk of Luis Castillo, writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.
Brian MacPherson and Tim Britton of The Providence Journal wonder how much longer Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek will continue to play. Varitek could be asked to backup Jarrod Saltalamacchia in 2011 but could still be given plenty of playing time in a platoon. McPherson set the over/under at 2.5 years but Britton takes the under, pointing out that the list of catchers who have played the most games is chock full of players who retired before reaching 40-years-old. The team captain will celebrate his 39th birthday in less than a month.
Pirates left-hander Joe Beimel was scratched again due to elbow pain today, which seems to contradict what GM Neal Huntington said yesterday after picking up Garrett Olson off of waivers, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Huntington insisted yesterday that the addition of Olson was not motivated by concern about Beimel or Scott Olsen.
Pittsburgh right-hander Kevin Hart was on the bubble for a roster spot with the club and out of options for 2011, but the club will now have more time to consider him after a shoulder injury sent him to the 60-day DL, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
Dave Cameron of Fangraphs rallies against the tyranny of the corner label.
Red Sox veteran David Ortiz told Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com that the pressure isn't off, even with the new additions.
ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider req'd) hears from a talent evaluator that the best way for Kevin Millwood to get back to the big leagues is by signing with a team and pitching in games. "That's no way to win a job — sitting at home," said the source. Millwood's fastball was clocked at 85 mph during a recent workout.
The Rangers ackowledge that Chris Davis has opened some eyes with his strong Spring Training, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. He's under consideration for a roster spot, though teams have inquired about his availability.
Now without star second baseman Dan Uggla, the Marlins are once again in a transitional phase, writes Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
While he really enjoyed his time in Houston, Lance Berkman is happy to be with the Cardinals, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.

Quick Hits: Millwood, Furcal, Drese, Varitek, Young

By Steve Adams | February 20, 2011 at 10:06pm CDT

Some links to sift through on a slow Sunday evening…

Kevin Millwood is working out and throwing simulated games at agent Scott Boras' training facility according to MLB.com's Peter Gammons (on Twitter). He says the righty is "waiting for the right widespread panic," similar to Kyle Lohse prior to the 2008 season. Earlier today we learned that Millwood rejected a minor league offer from the Yankees.
Rafael Furcal isn't thinking about the $12MM option in his contract, writes Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times. Yesterday we found out that the option can automatically vest with 600 plate appearances this season.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tells the story of Ryan Drese, who is attempting a comeback with the Orioles this year.
Having embraced his role as a backup, Jason Varitek wants to play into his 40s, writes MLB.com's Ian Browne. Varitek will turn 39 on April 11 this season.
If Michael Young had to choose a villain in the ongoing saga of his trade request, it's best that he chose Jon Daniels, writes Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
Jon Paul Morosi takes a look at the communication issues that led us to where we stand now in regards to the Young situation.
This will be Dustin McGowan's last attempt at a comeback, writes John Lott of the Ottawa Citizen. McGowan has undergone two shoulder surgeries and a knee surgery since 2008, and says he won't endure another shoulder surgery if the injury barks up again.

Odds & Ends: Arroyo, Varitek, Angels, Werth

By Mike Axisa | December 11, 2010 at 7:14pm CDT

The Red Sox officially introduced Carl Crawford to Red Sox Nation at a press conference this morning, but that's not the only hot stove news today…

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports provides the details of Bronson Arroyo's new contract. The righty will earn $6.5MM in 2011, $7MM in 2012, and then $18MM in 2013. All but $3MM of that 2013 salary is deferred, though it all has to be paid up front if he's traded.
Jason Varitek told MLB.com's Evan Drellich that he was considering retirement earlier this offseason, and that he's glad the Red Sox made his decision for him.
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan looks at some other pitchers that signed long-term contracts, with Cliff Lee obviously in mind.
John A. Tomase of the Boston Herald gives us an inside look at how the Crawford deal went down.
An Angels source denies that the club matched an offer for Crawford, writes ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes.
WEEI.com's Rob Bradford tweets that the Angels made Crawford a comparable offer and set a 11pm deadline on Wednesday, but the Red Sox got the deal done at 10:50.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets the breakdown of Jayson Werth's contract. His $4MM signing bonus will be paid between January 2011 and January 2012, and his annual salaries are as follows: $10MM, $13MM, $16MM, $20MM, $21MM, $21MM, and $21MM.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun wonders if there's room for the recently acquired Brendan Harris and re-signed Cesar Izturis on the Orioles. Harris is not on the 40-man roster, so he could start the 2011 season in the minors.
Scott Ostler of The San Francisco Chronicle looks at why the Giants and A's have trouble luring free agents to their teams.
Curious how all of last week's free agent activity affected the 2011 draft order? Then look at the changes here. Once the Kevin Correia and Miguel Olivo signings are made official, two more supplemental first round picks will be added.

Red Sox Re-Sign Jason Varitek

By Tim Dierkes | December 10, 2010 at 5:37pm CDT

The Red Sox have re-signed catcher Jason Varitek to a one-year deal, according to a team press release. No contract details were mentioned by the club, but Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated reports that Varitek will earn $2MM next season (via Twitter).

Varitek, 39 in April, will return for a 15th season in Boston. Last year, the Red Sox captain appeared in just 39 games and he'll likely assume a backup role again in 2011, when Jarrod Saltalamacchia could become the regular Boston backstop.

Thanks in large part to a torrid start at the plate, Varitek finished the 2010 season with a strong .232/.293/.473 batting line. The former Silver Slugger winner belted seven homers in just 123 plate appearances, proving that he still has some pop.

Though Varitek struggled to limit opposing base stealers early in the season, he threw out nine of 43 would-be base stealers overall. That figure (21%) is below average, but significantly better than the 13% mark he posted in 2009.

Heyman was the first to break the news of the signing on December 2, and MLB.com's Peter Gammons adds that the deal has $300K in incentives.

Ben Nicholson-Smith and Mark Polishuk contributed to this post.

Overnight Links: Lee, Brewers, Tigers, Varitek, Parra

By Steve Adams | December 8, 2010 at 6:08am CDT

Here's some late night odds and ends for the night owls who are still up and running, or early birds who are just rising:

Yahoo's Jeff Passan opines that offering seven years for Cliff Lee is the right thing for his suitors to do.
Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News opines that it's better for the Rangers to overpay for Lee than it is to let him go to New York.
Craig Counsell's agent asked the Brewers for more time to consider his options, tweets MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Milwaukee is anxious to hear whether or not the veteran infielder will return.
McCalvy also tweets that the Brewers will continue to pursue catching options, even with the near-signing of Wil Nieves.
McCalvy's colleague Jason Beck tweets confirmation from Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski that the club has considered sending Alfredo Figaro to Japan.
WEEI.com's Rob Bradford writes that the Blue Jays talked with Jason Varitek prior to his re-signing with Boston. A.J. Pierzynski, whom the Red Sox also contacted, is happy for Varitek regarding his return to Boston, saying "He deserves it."
A market for D'Backs outfielder Gerardo Parra is developing, tweets FOX Sports Arizona's Jack Magruder. Parra could be moved to help balance out a lineup that's heavy in left-handed hitters.

Dodgers Rumors: Padilla, Varitek, Payroll

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 2, 2010 at 6:02pm CDT

The Dodgers are spending aggressively this winter. Here's the latest on the players they are pursuing, the players they were pursuing and how they're doing all this pursuing:

The team already has Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and Jon Garland, but they continue to show interest in Vicente Padilla, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
The Dodgers strongly considered Jason Varitek as a backup catcher before he signed with the Red Sox, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports explains that the Dodgers have been able to be this aggressive in free agency because they've convinced a number of players to accept less money in 2011 and more money later.

Dodgers Interested In Damon, Multiple Catchers

By Tim Dierkes | November 30, 2010 at 1:54pm CDT

The Dodgers have outfielder Johnny Damon on their radar, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. They're also in contact with "virtually every free agent catcher," including Jason Varitek, Rod Barajas, A.J. Pierzynski, and Miguel Olivo. They're trying to hammer out a deal with Russell Martin prior to Thursday's non-tender deadline; the Dodgers will not risk going to arbitration with him.

Martin is at least a week away from running and maybe six weeks away from baseball activities, says Rosenthal. Martin is recovering from an August hip fracture; his agent Matt Colleran gave MLBTR an update last week. Martin would still be at $4MM if the Dodgers cut his salary by the maximum, something Colleran would presumably reject anyway.

As Rosenthal notes, Damon might be an awkward fit for the Dodgers in left field since he logged fewer than 300 outfield innings in 2010. On the other hand, the Dodgers put up with Manny Ramirez in left field for over 1,100 innings across the 2009-10 seasons.

The Dodgers have been aggressive this offseason, committing over $71MM to Ted Lilly, Juan Uribe, Hiroki Kuroda, Jon Garland, and Jay Gibbons.

Poll: Top Free Agent Catcher

By Mike Axisa | November 27, 2010 at 8:44am CDT

Assuming you consider Victor Martinez a part-time catcher, part-time first baseman, and part-time designated hitter, John Buck was the best free agent catcher available this offseason. He hit .281/.314/.489 with 20 homers for the Blue Jays last year, but he's since signed a hefty three-year deal with the Marlins. As always, the number of teams looking for a quality backstop far exceed the number that are actually available, but there's still a few out there.

Miguel Olivo is a lock for double-digit homers year in and year out, and the same can be said for Rod Barajas. Both have thrown out a high percentage of would-be base stealers historically. Yorvit Torrealba has a .346 OBP over the last two years, a mark just eight other catchers can top. Jason Varitek hit for a ton of power (.473 SLG) in limited action this year. Then there's A.J. Pierzynski. He's started no fewer than 124 games behind the plate in five of the last six years, and his .284 AVG since 2008 can be topped by only three other catchers.

The Dodgers, Rangers, and Padres are known to be seeking help behind the plate, and it's safe to assume that the Mariners and Red Sox will hunt for upgrades as well. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees, Rockies, Mets, or Orioles tried to improve their backup catcher situation either.

Who is the best catcher still available on the free agent market?

Click here to vote, and here to see the results. Thanks in advance.

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