Friday, January 16

Varitek and Henry to Meet in Atlanta

Red Sox owner John Henry and free agent Jason Varitek plan to meet tonight in Atlanta in what many believe is an attempt to work out an agreement for the catcher to return to Boston.

Sources say that Varitek request the meeting and that Scott Boras will not be in attendance. No word as to whether or not Sox General Manager Theo Epstein will accompany Henry. I don't think it's likely a deal would be agreed to without Epstein present, however certainly the foundation could be laid.

Recall Boras and Varitek turned down salary arbitration earlier this off season, however have not received any other offers of substance from another team. If a team was to sign Varitek they would lose their first round draft pick in the 2009 draft, not a likely scenario considering Tek's age and declining skills.

Personally I hope Henry and Tek come to some sort of agreement tonight, Mazz and Schilling both wrote today about the importance of having a good catcher to work with the staff and I'm inclined to agree with them. I've also thought all along Tek would be back this season at a reduced price.

If the strength of the Sox is setup to be pitching in 2009 it makes sense to have someone behind the plate we all trust, and if he hits .225. (that was painful for me to type)

1 comment:

DVicino said...

this is good news...no reason why they can't bring back tek and still go out and get Salty for a year of tutelage under Jason's wing. They have both the money and prospects to get this done.

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