For Varitek, the C is now a scarlet letter

I am more than perplexed at the one-sidedness of this article. Making Varitek out to be some kind of martyr is absurd.
Varitek's stats have been declining for sometime and yet he continues to demand an unrealistic payday? His selfishness and inability to truely assess his own value, something we all have to do in the real world, has put him in this position.
The fact that he was offered arbitration, and common belief is that would guarantee a $10million payday, is more than enough "compensation" for his past contributions.

Interesting take. I love 'Tek. I think the Red Sox paid him WAY MORE than any other team would have after the 2004 season in both dollars and years, which guys like Pedroia, Youk, Lester, et al, should also note. If you prove to be more valuable to the team than just what you offer on the field of play, you will be rewarded. I think everyone who is a member of the Red Sox has known since 2004 that this front office does not allow emotion to get in the way of decisions, as Mazz points out. Therefore, no decision they make should be taken personally. If the relationship between the Sox and 'Tek "falls apart", as you imply it could, than, clearly, 'Tek hasn't been paying attention to how Theo and company operate.

The "C" is not a scarlet letter for Varitek.

The Red Sox are completely right in the way they are handeling this situation. He is an aging 37 year old catcher. He got a huge contract last time around - which was completely waranted. There is next to no market for him right now and all interested parties - Varitek, Boras and the Red Sox know this. The Red Sox are bidding against themselves. Its all about the money. If Varitek cared so much about staying here to play baseball because he loves Boston and he is the Captain, take a 2 or 3 year deal at $6/mil per season and this thing would be solved. If not take a Wakefield like deal and he will for sure be in Boston for 2 to 3 years.

Bottom Line - Its all about the money, for all parties involved. Varitek just happens to be wearing the "C" - but he isnt any less at fault.

Tony,

I think you are a good reporter, but I think you have missed the mark here. Wearing the "C" on one's chest has to account for something, yes, but not to the point of fiscal insanity. Look back at the negotiations 4 years ago, the Red Sox put a value on Varitek that exceeded what others were willing to pay because of his leadership skills and what he meant to the team. They gave him a 4 year deal for more money than most thought he would get at the time.

He is now 4 years older, and declining in skill as the years catch up to him. The Red Sox will evaluate that, just like they will evaluate the intangibles that Varitek brings to the table. To suggest that they are not weighing and evaluating the whole entire picture is poor reporting and improper to even write at this point. Also, Varitek and Boras HAVE ALWAYS been business first people. Look back at his track record - name a time where he left money on the table. Varitek is a great player and will always be admired by the fans. But be realistic, and report honestly, if Varitek did not have the C on his chest, would the Sox even be willing to consider offering 10 million/year? No. They will only go to that amount because of the intangibles.

Along with being the Captain and accepting the Captain's role, he could have turned it down, comes the responsibilty of doing whats right and best for the team. Using the captain's title to hold the team hostage is just as despicable as the team using only your declining numbers against you. If Tek is the standup guy that most believe he is, He above anybody else should know what is true worth to the team is and not need some snake oil salesman to whisper in his ear that he's worth one penny more ! He has worth to this team, nobody can say he don't. The only question is what that worth is going to be and for how long. I can't tell the Sox or Tek what that may be but surely both sides have to be reasonable, Especially a player in his twilight years !

This is a ridiculous piece Mazz -- you cheese-doddle fingered laced to laptop freak !!
Varitek recognized internally as a leader in the clubhouse; leader on the field; leader in development and game mentality doesn't make the "Captaincy" an irrelevant recognition simply because Varitek is in the process of renewing a contract.
He is doing what every athlete is doing; with no true intentions of leaving Boston. This is almost exactly how his 2004 4-year deal was negotiated.... and that's when he got his "C".

Dumb-Piece Mazz.... Go Back to your cheese-doodles....

Jason Varitek should be offered a one or two year deal as a player, PLUS a lifetime personal services contract all in one. IMO he should always be a Red Sox.

Where to begin?

"Tomorrow, you're out on the street." - The Red Sox offered Varitek arbitration. He chose to decline.

"Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon . . . were all but ushered out the door." - I recall both being offered exhorbitant contracts, even recall management flying to the Dominican to throw laurels at Pedro's feet. Both offers were rejected because the players were more valuable to other teams.

Damn... I thought we had seen the last of Captain Over-Rated.

You're kidding me, right? The Sox have always been upfront that their contracts are about what they think the player will bring to the table for the length of that contract. At the expiration of the deal, we discuss what the expectations would be going forward.

The Scarlet Letter "C"? Get real. That was an acknowledgment of what had been accomplished for be sure, but also what he was bringing to the table going forward. Fact is, this is a two-way negotiation, and both sides have to want it. It is equally symbollic for Varitek.

So, Mazz, your point is that the C deserves a special pension plan??? Look, I love Tek, he means a lot to the sox, but management has fiscal respobsibility. If they give Tek what he wants then it ties thier hands with Salary to someone who can make a bigger impact. The other option is to raise ticket prices again. Anyway, the bottom line is that an employee should be compensated based on thier contribution...while Tek means a lot to the club in leadership, you have to admit that his on field ability is declining rapidly. If I was making the decision, I would give him a 2+2 contract - 2 years playing and 2 more coaching.

While I agree with the premise of the article I think that it's also important to understand that being 'Captain' is a two way street. Just as the Red Sox may not open their checkbook and say 'Okay Captain, how much do you want'. The 'Captain' also hasn't accepted the first deal (or arbitration) that was placed in front of him. The MLB isn't a cold business in disguise, it is just a cold business. If it weren't, and we had no reason to lose faith in Damon or Pedro for taking more money -or the 'Sox for not offering more, we wouldn't read all winter. Similarly, if it weren't for the hated Yankees, being a 'Sox fan wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable.

Disagree strongly with the tone of this piece....sounds like if the Red Sox don't give Tek/Boras what they want they're the heartless bad guys. I think the idea is to come up with a deal that's fair to market....and as a free agent Tek will find out first hand what that is. What could be more fair? Don't get me wrong, like all/most fans, I've admired Tek for his professionalism/preparation/etc, but that does not translate to an open checkbook. I fear Tony's getting caught up in all this 'bailout' stuff going on this fall.

I always thought the 'C' was for catcher!

Come on, he can't hit anymore.

He can't throw anyone out.

And he can catch anyone, except the knukleball.

How much value IS he really to the RED SOX????????

That seems a little harsh on the Red Sox tony. Teams that allow sentimentality to direct their moves end up saddled with bad contracts that inhibit the team's ability to compete. You can debate the merits on both sides, but given the choice between fielding perennial winning teams and sending our heroes out with warm fuzzy feelings for all, most Sox fans will take the winning. Don't forget the players' loyalty runs pretty shallow too, so I think this is the right approact for the team to take.

Hey .. nothing lasts forever. No sense getting all weepy-eyed about players in this day and age.

I love 'tek and I'd love to see him finish his career here, but baseball is a business and the Sox would be idiots to overpay and overcommit with a Posada-like deal.

Besides, having a captain in baseball is stupid.

Tony,
We understand the reality of baseball as a business. When your time is up it's time to go. The team is only interested in ROI. Fair enough. So should Pedroia, Ellsbury, Lester etc. start worrying now about how heartlessly they will be cast aside in 2015 or can they enjoy themselves and have fun over the next 6 or 7 years? Are things really that slow in Vegas that you had to tell us that Varitek isn't what he once was and the Red Sox may act accordingly? Varitek and his children are set for life financially. He is a healthy 37 year old athlete. Heidi Whatney is gorgeous. How will he ever go on without that C? I feel so badly for him.

Cynicism is alive and well again in the Boston sports pages. I thought it was, for the most part, dead and buried after these last many euphoric years of great success. Even Shaughnessy seemed to have turned the corner. Jason was a great baseball player for the Boston Red Sox and very well may be again for them or for another team. He did what was asked of him ,and more, for a consistently long time. He represented the "C" with pride to this region, the Red Sox, and most importantly to his teammates. Do you really think that Ellsbury, Lester, etc.. should start to be concerned now that their skill levels may deteriorate at some point and that they will no longer be able to compete at the Major League level? Do you think that this is what Jason was concerned about 10-12 years ago? It will be very hard to say good-bye, but unlike what you are trying to represent with this column, most true fans know that this man will forever wear a "B" and a "C" on his chest.

Are you suggesting the Red Sox should take the same approach as the Yankees are taking with Jeter? The consensus opinion is that Jeter's defensive skills are detereorating at a rapid rate, and yet the Yankees captain seems to have been given job immunity. If the Yankees don't change course on this, and continue to let Jeter play SS indefinitely until he chooses to retire, they will be severely handicapping their team. It would be nice to run a tight ship and keep everyone feeling good about each other until the player chooses to retire--but due to the fact that it's a business, the smart business move for the team is to assess the performance of the captain and base decisions upon that assessment, not the fact that he's been a great Red Sox player for the past decade. I feel that Theo's lack of sentimentality is one of his greatest strengths as a GM, and although youc an question some of his signings, it's hard to question his decisions to let players walk away. Let Theo continue his quest to put a team capable of 95 wins on the field each year. And let Henry, Werner and Lucchino orchestrate a nice tribue to Tek when his time in Boston ends, whenever that should happen.

Is it me or was this piece about 3x too long? "Let us reiterate" was a bad sign...

Mazz, you are such a Sally. What's wrong? If they let him walk will you not have anyone to hold hands with in the locker room anymore?

"...all but ushered out the door"???

",..shown the door"????

I usually like what you write, Mazz, but this little exercise in revisionist history in order to try to bolster the dubious point you make in this piece is a bit hard to swallow.

I admire Jason Varitek and appreciate all he's done for this club. But he's also been well compensated for it, and has the admiration of RSN and his peers (on the Sox and other teams as well). I do hope that all parties concerned can get together and hammer out something that's fair to Jason, but also not jaw-droppingly insane for the organization. I'd definitely like to see him stay with the Sox organization in some useful capacity.

This article paints baseball players like their special better then the rest of us they play a kids game and get paid very well. And when they retire at the ripe old age of 35 - 40 they start a business or play golf. Of course its a business just like any other business when your skills fade what happens? look at all the people being chucked out on the street from their jobs now they may have been the C in there companies at one time, but they don't have millions of dollars in the bank. Maybe Varitek should look at his current skill set and be happy he has a job offer playing a kids game.

I'm normally 'okay' with Mazz's articles (and I've never left a comment on one), but really, this is terrible. Sorry Mazz, this piece just reeks.

The only reason he was given the "C" was to sell more jerseys- much like the new logo we expect to see very soon.

So because Tek worked hard and put the team first, we should put our team in a bad position by signing him long term? He should have worked hard and prepared for each game because that is his job and he was paid 10 million a yr for the last 4 years to do just that. He was given the C as a sign of respect and appreciation for his work. If we threw money at every player who helped us win the previous 2-5 years then we wouldnt be winning anymore. We would have a bunch of old guys who arent worth half the money they make and a team in last place. Imagine having Nomar, Pedro, Damon, Trot, Tek, Schilling, Lowe, and Manny all making 15- 25 million per year right now? I would rather have jacoby, dustin, lester, dice K, beckett, bay, pablebon, masterson, and other prospects who are hungry. It makes perfect sense. Players get old and they dont perform the way they used to. they get big money and dont care about winning. When you have guys like pedroia and jacoby and lester who are playing for their pay day, you get a much more productive team who is hungry to win and hungry to get paid. not the lazy pieces of overpaid $hit that only a moronic team like the Yankees would sign. I mean the Yankees have to be a prime example of overpaying for a big name has been. nomars best days were here, pedros too, mannys as well. and when you look back on it, Tek will never play for a team like the red sox again in his career.

This article is retarded. Did you happen to work for the Yankees GM for the past 6 years?

Tek. Please man, take the two year deal, then take an office and start training the new guy.

your article very true. but to point to the redsox is bs. you are speaking about every team owner in baseball. to tell peddy and the rest of the younger players to remember this is ok but you should also be telling them not to expect anything different from any other team. not just boston.

As usual Massarotti knows nothing...he is auditioning to become the next Shaughnessy, another no nothing jerk! Tek was a good player but he is clearly on the decline. The Red Sox are doing their homework, and evaluations then will decide on what is best for the Red Sox. Massarotti is just spewing his crap again, using the material on this blog to try and write another book! The title of his new book should be "I am Woman Here Me Roar"!
Idiot!

Pay me $40 million and treat me like a red-headed step child.

I'd take that all day long.

What cracks me up in these negotiations, is that guys like Tony, Glen Ordway, and a few others walk the fence w/o ever saying what their opinion is. Then when a decision is made, they'll critize it.
The mantra now is you have to sign him, he's so valuable behind the plate w/ the young staff, but not too long. (How many years Tony??) You can' t trade away the young talent in the minors for an unknown young catcher like Salty in Texas. There's not much FA catching that would represent an upgrade.
So what do they do? Sign him for 4 years the designate him after a year?

Mazz, any idea if there's talks about signing Varitek for maybe 2 years and then hiring him as a coach of some kind? I think his work ethic would merit being a a bench coach or at least some sort of position that can work the pitching coaches, pitchers, and catchers.
Sounds a little odd, I know, but this guy definitely has something to offer in terms of how to handle pitchers.

If the Sox are smart, they will sign Tek to a 2-year contract as a catcher and then give him a position where he trains young catchers in the farm system. He is the best catcher we have had in years. The fact that he doesn't hit as well as he used to is something that can be fixed - new style, length and weight of bat or some other minor change. Perhaps he can hit more from the right side than the left. He is a valuable person because he can catch and he could teach the youngsters how to excel at catching.

Wow that is a bad article. Why the focus on "baseball is a business" Tony, you don't even need to bring that in to your argument.

Baseball is a game. The object of a game is to win. A 37 year old catcher with a an OPS much closer to 500 than 800 does not help a team win games. Since such a catcher does not help the team win (indeed, since other catchers would no doubt better help the team win), this catcher should not be retained. QED.

Pedroia, Ellsbury, Masterson, etc should pay attention to Varitek's situation. He was well taken care of, paid at the very top of his market, during his productive years and beyond. When he lost his ability to perform, the team still offered him millions of dollars to come back. What isn't to like? Does being a team leader, and having this fact recognized by the organization, entitle one to a blank check?

Just an astoundingly poorly thought out and argued column. F-.

tony , if he is an equal to lets say Carlton Fisk and his physical health is not an issue. he still has huge potential and his energy and leadership will be hard to replace, he deserve the compensation

Tony,

I think I understand the point you're trying to make, but the tone of the article came off all wrong (I'll reference all the previous comments posted to this article as explanation).

What's your point? If the Sox had said thanks for the memories then maybe but they have offered him a contract. They may have offered a "captaincy enhanced" contract for all you know. Just because his shark agent is dragging this out doesn't reflect one bit on the Sox.

This article is insane. First of all, Damon was never "ushered out the door" - the Yankees wildly overbid for him and the Sox made a business decision to let him go. Likewise, Pedro was offered a far-too-generous-in-length offer considering his injury history and the Sox astutely let him walk. In both instances, they've been proven correct. These players had age/injury/wear and tear issues that mitigated their value and the Red Sox evaluated them knowing all the facts, offered them compensation accordingly, and were outbid by teams who were foolishly willing to go higher. It can be argued that Lowe was the same way - he had underperformed in 2004 (postseason aside) for the salary he commanded that offseason and the Sox gambled that he wouldn't be able to play up to what he was offered. They misread on that one, but not too badly. Nomar was traded for a guy who won us a title in Cabrera. I trust the judgment of the people who are with these guys every day and I can't say if Nomar was the clubhouse cancer he was often made out to be because frankly, only the people on that team know the truth, but that is out there too.

Let's not over-romanticize Tek. He has been more than fairly compensated the past 4 years for at least two seasons of abysmal offensive production. Everyone knows about his intangibles, but how much can that possibly be worth? Even the Dustin Pedroias, Youkilises and Ellsburys will be able to look at Varitek and see that a low-.200s hitter can't complain if the market for him doesn't go past a couple of years at maybe $10M/per. That's hardly an insult - come on.

Even his biggest cheerleaders realize that Tek is in decline. He doesn't have a leg to stand on when it comes to being indignant about getting undervalued. The Sox already made an offer for him. If someone breaks the bank to land him, then so be it, I'll help him pack. The Sox have generally been spot on with their talent evaluation per dollar metrics - I'll trust them on this one. It's time to get off Tek's jock. The guy's been awesome, but if it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be. Can't say I'll miss watching him whiff at the bottom of the order again like last season.

Mazz you came from the Herald, right? An organization that defines business justice. Do get real with your reporting.

I'm not sure what message you would be sending if you don't keep him or do keep him? Varitek earned the C on his chest and it's one of the reasons to retain him. His true value is in the clubhouse, his preparation, and with the pitching staff. But he is a huge offensive liability. He's almost an automatic out and has been for more than one and a half seasons. The question becomes how much did his health and off field distractions affect him. Variek is no dummy but he's clearly not willing to accept that his skills at the plate may have gone bye bye. Many athletes have this issue. The Sox have enough money to burn, but if he is totally inept offensively would you really relase your captain? That would sting more than not offering a two year deal now. Captain or not, if you don't perform, you don't play (or get paid). Tek knows he didn't earn the $10M last season. You would think he would take less or some type of incentive laden deal to earn his keep. What is more fair?

"If you are Pedroia or Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester or Justin Masterson, you should make a mental note of this now because, years from now, you will be in the same position.

"At the end of the day, major league baseball is nothing more than a cold business in disguise."

If only the newspaper business were that way. Then we'd see you and the curly haired boyfriend trying to get a beat writer's gig for the Quad Cities River Bandits. That's right youngbloods, forget the fact that you're making millions of dollars to spend the prime of your life playing a professional sport, with thousands of guys wanting to be you and thousands of girls wanting to get with you - you might have a difficult contract negotiation in ten or fifteen years! Forget trying to enjoy life now because there's always the chance that something crappy could happen down the road.

I know things get boring down on Morrissey, and your editor says you need to publish something, but get real. Like former NHLer Greg Malone said, "if you're lucky enough to get a job playing [a pro sport], you're lucky enough." Again, too bad the same can't be sad about the newspaper business.

Well, this article assures the author of great access to Jason Varitek in the future, having given his back a great scratching......

Let's see, Tek has Scot Boras as his agent, but loyalty is the issue for the Sox, right?? Sounds to me like a pretty even match, with neither being able to take advantage of the other, since each is pretty capable.

It is what it is Tony. With due respect, grow up! If someone wants to pay me 10 million a year, I don't care if they respect me because I can sleep comfortably knowing that I got over on them. They are paying me a ridiculous amount of money to due something unimportant in the grand scheme of things. If a professional athlete cares more about appreciation than financial compensation then he needs to do more legitimate volunteer work, not just handing out turkeys in a photo op. Regarding the "C" that was always pathetic! Hopefully, if and when another player is offered the "C" he will understand that real leaders do not need to be singled out. (Not saying that Tek asked for the "C". I think it was a pathetic stunt by the Sox to massage Tek and make points with less knowledgeable fans.)

Unless Varitek brings his hands down and widens his base, thus shortening his stroke, his production will continue to decline. His inability to make adjustments offensively is baffling.

Just like Damon; they have enough money.....if they want to stay they could stay and make plenty. They choose to leave for more, then blame the sox, the papers, the fans...

Tony, please clarify that you are campaigning for the same team "Captain" that exerted undue influence (overtly or discretely depending on your perspecitve) on Francona to not be PH for during the regular season and then openly pouted during the postseason when he was pinch-hit for? Don't even get me started on the Captain's judgment and moral character displayed this past spring with a certain employee of the team owned broadcasting network...

Also, did you notice that the owners are businessmen? They will not overpay for past performance, past service, letter on uniform, or any other emotional/psychological reason that swooning fanboys and pinkhats are screaming for.

p.s. harrybosch's comments are exactly on point as well.

By the way, the poll that's posted: should the Red Sox resign Jason Varitek yes or no - has to be the STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!!! It is completely nonsensical. It's all about the TERMS!! If you could resign Varitek for 2 years at 10 bucks a year, OF COURSE you resign him. If you need to go to 10 years at $15 Million per year, then OF COURSE you don't sign him.

Holy cow is this lazy journalism. This makes me believe I could be a sportswriter if this is honestly all it takes.

Boston.com: We hear you ... we're changing the survey now.

This is a really stupid article that seems designed just to inflame rather than inform. The stupidest part of it is suggesting that if they don't make him an offer he can't refuse they have somehow been cold and mean not only to him but to the team and to fans. Bullcrap.

I'm a fan and I just want to win. I want an efficient team. I want Bill Belichick running every sports team in town. If they can get Tek for a reasonable price based on his output and contributions, then great, if not, then sayonara. That's how it should be with everyone. That's how almost every player plays it, and I don't get mad at them so why do you get to get mad at the team for playing the same game?

"If you are Pedroia or Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester or Justin Masterson, you should make a mental note of this now because, years from now, you will be in the same position.

"At the end of the day, major league baseball is nothing more than a cold business in disguise."

If only the newspaper business were that way. Then we'd see you and the curly haired boyfriend trying to get a beat writer's gig for the Quad Cities River Bandits. That's right youngbloods, forget the fact that you're making millions of dollars to spend the prime of your life playing a professional sport, with thousands of guys wanting to be you and thousands of girls wanting to get with you - you might have a difficult contract negotiation in ten or fifteen years! Forget trying to enjoy life now because there's always the chance that something crappy could happen down the road.

I know things get boring down on Morrissey, and your editor says you need to publish something, but get real. Like former NHLer Greg Malone said, "if you're lucky enough to get a job playing [a pro sport], you're lucky enough." Again, too bad the same can't be sad about the newspaper business.

Mazz, you're getting killed here... but rightly so this time! Tough night at the tables?
1) The arbitration offer set his value. They would have paid hiim another $10 million-plus for another year. If he rebounded, he'd get paid again next year. He declined. Sox get a pick if he signs elsewhere. Who wouldn't trade Tek for Jacoby Ellsbury (isn't that the guy they got for Cabrera's compensation?).
2) Tek hurt his own standing by once again, as he's always done, held out for the big bucks aka Boras style. He's always done it. Now his stats don't back it up.
3) Tek hurt himself acting like Francona was out of line pinch hitting for him in the playoffs after Tito put up with howls all year NOT PH for him. Tek should have known better and showed his selfish side.
4) Posada got a ridiculous $56 million after his BEST offensive year and everyone still said it was insane. Tek had his WORST year and acted like he should get the same.
5) Ushered out the door? They were offered millions. The Sox wouldn't get into a bidding war with the one team that has all the money in the world. Made sense then, makes sense now, and suggesting otherwise is nonsense.
6) I don't think "ironical" is a word, but I wouldn't "bet" on it. Just wondering out loud.
Tek will always be a favorite, but I no longer think he's willing to mentor his replacement, catch Wake if necessary, platoon as his skills suggest, and do the thngs that put team first. He wants one last payday. Let him go get it. Just not from us.

Pedroia said it best when he said this is the best organization to play for. He doesn't have to look at Tek's situation and feel any different.

I am upset with myself for reading this article thinking that at some time you would make a point. Playing for a team, regardless who, is not a Supreme Court appointment. You are under a set contract, no more no less. Veritek will be reviewed and decisions will be made, move on. He is solid but he is old. Like all things in life, if you can find a suitable "newer" model you buy it.

The "C" should carry no meaning during contract negotiations.

I like Tek and agree he has a great baseball mind and brings a lot of important intangibles to the team. I do no however buy into this notion that he has something that harldy any other catchers around baseball possess. Did he drink from a secret fountain of baseball knoledge that no other catchers have access to? I tend to doubt it.

Thanks for all you have done for us Tek. Its too bad you are addicted to the Boras kool-aid. If you ever come to your senses and take a look in the mirror, we'd love to have you back for a sensible price.

I don't understand anyone comparing Massarotti to Shaughnessy. Massarotti always seems a little more player oriented and a little less front office. Shaughnessy always sounded like he was getting paid by the front office to report everything from their point of view. And while everyone knows baseball is a business sometimes it's a little hard to take the Red Sox front office and what seems to be their complete lack of anything even bordering on compassion for their players. And I do not mean they should give in to all players and give them anything they want. Just act as if they at least care about them as people.

Hey Captain Insano, (Yes, that means you Tony.)
1. Saying Varitek is declining at the plate is a massive understatement. His last three years have produced a .238 average. Do the math.
2. You mention that the "C" will be passed to so and so in the same fashion and they will be treated likewise by the organization. In the history of our beloved team, only four players have worn the "C".
3. It was Varitek and his insano agent who approached the team with the ludicrous figure of 4Yrs / 52M. Same page ? How about different book ?

The guy has done some amazing things with the Red Sox and was highly compensated for them. I really like Varitek and there is nothing I would like to see more than that C sitting behind the plate. It's unfortunate for him that his numbers last year were extremely poor. He has to stop drinking the Boras juice. He's not worth that kind of money. This is just how things go when you have that bottom dwelling scum sucker Boras as your agent. He slaps some lipstick on you and turns you into a whore just like he is. Facts are facts: you don't get Posada numbers until you put out Posada numbers....

Reiterating as well. Understand the point, though find it reaching. And the history was too revisionist.

Also the poll as to sign him or not is rather pointless w/o terms. It's too open ended. I'd resign him under certain conditions, I wouldn't other others.

Not one of your better pieces of work

Tony??? "Shown the door"??? Let's be factual about this Tony. Derrick Lowe shot his way out of town and did not deserve a new contract based on his 2004 regular season body of work. Pedro and Johnny Damon were both offered multi-year, 8 figure contracts and BECAUSE baseball is such a cold-hearted business they were able to demand more on the open market and lastly Jason Varitek was paid $40 million for the last 4 years, a sum of money no one else in baseball but the cold, heartless Red Sox were willing to pay. Tony, somewhere along the line "pay for performance" has to enter into the discussion. Quite frankly if the Red Sox were as cold and heartless as you make them out to be they should not negotiate with Jason Varitek at all based on his 2008 body of work and his age. But, because the Red Sox place value on things other than batting average, OPS, runners thrown out stealing, they have made another 8 figure contract to a catcher with diminshing skills. Cold-hearted???? Tony what were you thinking?????

If they pay this guy ten million a year to hit .220 they must have a screw loose. The "behind the plate" nonsense is just that.... Derek Lowe did pretty well without him as I'm sure many other ex Sox pitchers have. He's all done, lost his skills ala Rich Gedman, show him the door and move on. Every dog has his day.

BAD ARTICLE TONY! TEK got his C and a bloated contract with it, statisticly did not deserve his last contract... but did on whole. Now, with pathetic stats, the Sox are supose to sign him to another bloated contract! The sox did their part by offering arbitration, which would have overpaid TEK for 1 year. TEK got to show he wants to be here now...... 3 years - 24 million.

I love Tek but his value is Boras-biased ... everyone knows that. Why does he insist on switch hitting when he bats ~.280 from the right & ~.220 from the left?

Note to self: stop buying CURRENT player jerseys ... Varitek, Garciaparra, Thornton (Joe). Hopefully Garnett won't leave any time soon.

I have to agree w/the gist of all the comments--Mazz, normally pretty decent, you were way off on this one. Tek was offered arbritration--his agent thinks he is worth more--for more years good luck, Damon was offered a sizeable contract--he chose more $$$ than had the audacity to speak in "hushed tones" about what the Red Sox were "doing over there", Pedro was offered a contract--he wanted more years, Nomar was offered a HUGE contract in spring training--and turned it down. So, saying these people are being "shown the door" is irresponsible reporting. How many people out in the average world would like to be "shown the door" by their companies like these athletes have been by the Red Sox??? IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT THE MONEY. NOMAR, DAMON, PEDRO ALL GOT HUGE CONTRACT OFFERS FROM THE SOX. How many of those decisions look bad now??? And out of the few mentioned Tek is by far the most declining in skills. Good gosh--Cash hit just as many homeruns as Tek did in the playoffs. At least with Cash, my thought was always, "He will either crush one or strikeout." With Tek it was like, "I wish he would try and bunt or something. Maybe we'll get lucky with a walk." He can't even work the pitchers for walks because he can't foul off good pitches--so the umps don't give him any corners. Watch the tapes--good hitters who work the count will get the calls--people like Tek don't get the calls anymore. Was there anyone outside of New England who didn't shutter when he came up in the playoffs when there were two outs--or someone on first that he could hit into a double play? He, if truly wanting to demonstrate leadership, would have taken arbritration and proved this year was an aberration---but he is too arrogant. Just like his response when being benched for a pinch-hitter. I think if we would have played in the World Series in the NL park Tito would have considered batting the pitcher before him. He simply can not hit left handed anymore--and once again REFUSES TO TRY TO HIT RIGHTY FULLTIME. That is not captaincy that is me-first bs.

I predict the market for a 35 YO catcher who hit .220 last year and who can't catch up to good heat any more will NOT be robust. I think you are attaching way more significance to the decision to retain Varitek than Red Sox Nation is collectively attaching to it. I think RSN will understand if he is not brought back, because his best days are now behind him (and knowing that almost all catchers go in the tank performance-wise after the age of 35 because of the physical demands of that position).

Boys and girls, stand back and marvel at this piece. It's an amazing example of a writer leading his readers to make the conclusion he wants without openly making it himself. A variation on "protesting too much."

The ridiculous reasoning in this piece was on purpose. He wants readers to make the counter-argument that Tek should go.

Sox followers, take note: this piece tells you Tek's future as clearly as if it came direct from the Sox front office.

It's fairly safe to say we all appreciate Tek for what he has done thus far in his career, but perhaps it's time to let him go. He had a rough year both personally and professionally and a change of scenery might do him some good. Some place warm and sunny.

BAD ARTICLE TONY! TEK got his C and a bloated contract with it, statisticly did not deserve his last contract... but did on whole. Now, with pathetic stats, the Sox are supose to sign him to another bloated contract! The sox did their part by offering arbitration, which would have overpaid TEK for 1 year. TEK got to show he wants to be here now...... 3 years - 24 million.

GOD NO. sorry but if you are batting .220 you are DEAD WEIGHT. I respect everything he has done for our team but its time to go in a new direction, 1 year, 2 year deal or not, I say its time to start fresh. If you want tek back you need to leave your nostalgia at the door buddy. the truth hurts.

Are you serious? This is a dumb article. Tek was well treated as a Sox and was well compensated for the numbers he put up. Get a life man...

You did a great job writing the editorial article about Tek Scott, keep up the good work.

Now this is the kind of piece that Dan Shaughnessey used to write: Create a scenario where we make believe it’s the first time that adored, yet declining athletes are unfairly treated by the Big Bad Wool-if. We all love Tek…he loves us…and often $$$ rules. Pedro and Damon are good examples of athletes who were offered great money, chose better money and saw their skills decline by years or injury. They have never lived up to their contracts with the Yankees and Mets respectively. That’s the story, Mazz….Not how the Red Sox are abusive parents to their past, present and future children.

Guys like Mazz give this City a bad name because they do not represent the fan base. Us, the fan base, have faith in Mangement, just like we have faith in Belichick/ Kraft to make the right decisions. I've never had more faith in any one regime that I have in the current Sox regime & Theo. I also read a couple of articles by Chad Finn that have baffled me, luckily his last article about the Celtics was a good one. Finn saying Papi is on the trading block and that his numbers declined last year when in fact if he had played a full year, he would have had 35 HR's 130 RBI's and he was hurt for most of the year. He is playing in this Town at a discount, as is Pedroia, Wake and others, team players who love this City and this team. Manny never loved this City or this Team, same with Pedro & Nomar. They loved THEMSELVES AND THE MONEY ONLY. Finn - Why would you trade Papi there is a good chance his numbers will go back to the norm next year when we are paying him next to nothing to play here - and 35 HR 130 RBI is an off year and his numbers would likely increase? I understand Papi's getting a little older, but, his numbers are better than Teixeira's numbers & Teix is demanding upwards of $25M per year. And to go ahead and start a rumor that he is on the trade block is just ridiculous without any type of justification for it. GLOBE please hear me out.....Get rid of Mazz and the likes of Finn before I get my info from another website. I love Boston.com, but, Mazz belongs exactly where he came from at the City smut newspaper.

most of you complain about mazz & what his ideas & thoughts are about the present & future of the red sox....cmon. the guy got his job at the globe for being a well respected baseball "man".
everyone..open your mind please. you can't be THAT bored, but to hammer mazz on every column he writes.

Whoa Tony. Seems like you're all alone here in your thinking.

Ralph - AWESOME and ACCURATE. MAZ - take some advice.

Boras, Boras, Boras! As he did with Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramierez, to make a bigger percentage for himself, Boras has set an unrealistic goal for teams to sign Vartiek, basically ending his baseball career. What a guy!

MAZZ - I think you are a great reporter, but I think you strayed a little from reality here. Yes, Tek wears the 'C' on his chest, but it was not given for life - Tek knew that, management knew that, we knew that. He had a tremendous career, but, like all ball players, if it's time for him to move on, it's time. That decision should come down to whether or not he's the best available player to have in the catchers slot for the sox - not some ideological reason concerning the 'C' on his jersey. Don't make this a bigger issue than it has to be.

Tony has it backward. Tek and Boras better be very careful how they handle this. The last contract the Sox gave him was a gift. If they offer him anything beyond dead body status at the bottom of the lineup they are crazy and we all know it. If they want to throw him an appreciation contract for 5 million a year for two years to back up a young guy he should thankfully grab it.

Perhaps the worst piece of baseball writing, reporting, or commentary this year. Tony, did you give the keys to the column to some junior high cheerleader from the neighborhood?

Stay steady Captain Mazz, there's still two weeks left in 2008, you might still surpass this yet. Good God, what has happened to the Best Sports Page in the World [tm]?

Tony-

For a writer of your stature, this is an irresposible article. I choose not to renew your option.

Some of you Red Sox fans make me sick....You all really have a short memory...This is a man that helped bring us to the promised land twice and now that he is long in the tooth,it's time to take out the trash...Granted,i totally understand the economics and the unrealistic salary that he (Boras) is commanding,but c'mon show our Captain some respect...Boy,cheer one minute,cutthroat the next....Whether he is back on the roster or not,people show some class...Once the Lowell's.Ortiz's and Tek's are out the door,that clubhouse is going to be a regular Animal House...

cold business in disguise? how about a real freakin job where layoffs happen all the time and management/execs lie through their teeth

boohoo...like he feels UNLOVED because he will make less than 10 freakin million this year? who cares !@

outrageouosly ridiculous numbers to play a kids game!

I'd miss 'Tek & was in the majority who voted in the poll for a 2yr, 6-7M$ solution.
It'd be great if he pulls a K-rod, assesses the market realistically, and has his agent propose something like 2+option @6-7 plus some incentives (maybe even related to staff ERA or catcher's ERA, rather than offense)...
BUT with the track record of Boras as his agent I see him leaving for max $.
"So it goes."

Why not have Mazz and Jacoby swap jobs and totally confuse political junkies and Sox fans.

Pedro was ushered out the door? The Sox made a terrific offer to him. The Mets made a STUPID offer to him. He took the STUPID offer. Can't blame him, either.

To a lesser extent, Damon's situation was the same.

Lowe, you're right. The Sox didn't want him back. Despite what he did in the post-season for them in '04. You could make the case that Lowe was the MVP of that entire post-season.

Varitek is the # 1 reason the red sox did not go to the world series. His performncae all year in the clutch was just plain awful. He was an automatic out. In key series against Rays and Yanks he came up with winning or tying runs on base and couldn't get the ball out of the infield,often striking out at a curve ball in the dirt. Then he complaines about being pinch hit for in the playoffs. Look up his batting average in the ALCS. Look up his batting average after Memorial day last year. Automatic out. What's with that ridicolous C on his shirt? He's not on the Bruins. Lou Gehrig was a captain, did you see a C on his shirt?

Maz....this was the single most one-sided, stupid piece of writing I've seen in a while.

This article should be placed on the magazine rack next to the rest of the trash with headlines reading "I had an Alien Encounter"

Go back to the Herald!

Anonymous.... yes Red Sox fans that paid the TOP $$ for tickets becuase we pay TOP $$ for players... including a BONUS for TEK in his last contract. Everyone loves TEK... but we are not going to sit here and support BORASS and his INFLATED expectations, eventually costing more $$ for tickets.

What a joke!!!!!!!!!!!..how come kenny rosenthal from foxsports can report that the sox are getting close to a deal with big tex, but these so called expert globe reporters, cant do the same???...tony maccaroni keeps writing the same old, each day...calfrado is useless....and benjamin???....come on...the job at the spa/nails awaits you..no offense--but i just dont get any insight from reading any of the mentioned reporters...maybe thats jut me....but they should of kept gordon"gordo edes...a class act and a guy who had knowledge of the game and of the red sox..hell, guys like mike silverman fromt he herald..wriote better stuff...

Tony,
C U later?? Come on. Go all the way, buddy. C U L8R!

Borass is the problem here, not the Sox and not Tek. It's too bad that Tek can't use his ability to diagnose a hitter's tendencies, to diagnos what his cancer of an agent is doing to him.

It's not the Red Sox doing cold business here, it's Varitek. Demanding what he/Boras does, after a year like this, from a team that gave him a lot (money, championships, respect)?
Pedroia plays for the love of the game, and he chose Boston because he loves it here, he loves the fans, he loves Fenway. Sitting out the last two years of his rookie contract, he could have made a LOT more than the averaged 7.3m annual of his current contract. Remember, he's the AL MVP, silver slugger and gold glove 2nd baseman. It's him who carried the team on his back, and also made up for Varitek, who was a ZERO in the lineup after hitting .295 early in the season.

""""Jason Varitek should be offered a one or two year deal as a player, PLUS a lifetime personal services contract all in one. IMO he should always be a Red Sox.""""" Posted by John Ryder ...

i definitely agree. i also think he is listening too much to bora$$ this time around. not accepting arbitration was shooting himself in the foot. No other team is truly interested.

we all know the ideal situation. sign tek for 2 years and get a young catcher to work under him. i think his work ethic makes him a role model. then keep tek in the mix in his post player years.

yes baseball is a business, but there is also an innate quality to baseball as well. teams that are tight - fight like a family - always seem to be successful. as we can see with the yanks, you can have talent and money, but if you are not 'together' as a group you will ultimately fail.

Who really cares about this nonsense mazzaroti??..talk about the important things pleeeeze..like big tex..becuz if the sox dont sign him..there is no post season next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!......can you say, the yanks??..or the rays??.....so reagrdless who is catching..tex is the key here...lets go theo..earn your money...stop playing coy...this current linup will NOT get it done next year--there is a reason we lost game 7 against the rays..thts becuase we couldnt score!!!...to many easy outs in the current line up......so tony manacotti maccaroni massaoratti..lets get with the program buddy...and the same with benjamin..she writes the same stuff each day..ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Maybe Tek could have shown the fans respect by accepting what was a very generous offer of arbitration - I'd be shocked if he got $10+mil somewhere else. Show respect? The guy busted his butt for us and gave everything he had...and...wait...he was paid millions for dollars. In many years he was overpaid. You want him back for another year? If so I suggest you go watch his highlights from the ALCS when the Rays pitchers made him look ridiculous. Even if he comes back, I seriously hope he's not catching more than twice through the rotation. I like him, but he's done.

as mean as it sounds ... i'd prefer sox trade for salty and sign tek only for as long as they need him to tutor salty. i think tek should sign a one yr deal with the sox, then agree to sign on as a bullpen coach. it would be the best solution for everyone. tek's problem is he listens to boras not the fact a 37 year old isnt worth what a guy in his prime is worth. why would any team give a 37 yr old as much or more then he got in his prime?

I don't get the point of the article - it just sort of rambles. Varitek was named captain, and he was also paid a ton of money the past four years. So because he is captain, a completely symbolic title, the Sox should ignore facts and stats and just re-sign him. That Varitek turned down arbitration shows he is either getting bad advice or is out of touch. Arbitration could have given him a one-year deal at roughly 10 million. A chance for The Captain to try to show last year's horrendous season (and that is being kind) was an aberration.

Arbitration is a fair process and Varitek rejected it, not the Red Sox. Thus, it was Varitek that first decided to leave the team, not the Red Sox.

are u kidding he so should stay he is one of the be4st players and deseves to have the c because he has a good personality

When all is said and done, Tek will be back here. My guess would be 2 years with a team option for a third, the dollars really do not matter. Is anyone else out there offering anything? Havnt heard Boras say that in the last 2-3 days. Most teams that needed catching have gotten it done already(Cinn,Detroit). That and the fact that any team signing Tek must give up a first round draft pick points back to seeing Tek with the "C" back in Beantown.
Tek WAS offered arbitration, so he was not pushed out the door, and again where are all the other offers. This is simply a business dealing, and both the Sox and Boras face additional huge decsions and most likely have a framework to get this done.

I agree whole-heartedly by the comments made by BP and GG. Veritek is undoubtedly in decline and as a result isn't worth what Boras or even himself think he is. I'm sorry, but this article is absurd.
"Today, you're captain - tomorrow, you're out on the street."

Please.
If his terms were more realistic, and shared a perspective that was similar to Wakefields (what I think is commendable) I'm sure the Sox would hold on to him.

are u kidding he so should stay he is one of the be4st players and deseves to have the c because he has a good personality

I guess you did your job Mazz...created a little discuss (but you sure took a beating).

Here's my take....Tek got the "C" and that doesn't happen often. How could he possibly come back at a disount?? Does that make sense to anyone? He's just looking for the respect that any leader needs to continue going above and beyond the expectations of the employer.

I think he would consider coming back under the idea of an "extended contract" and take the same pay but more likely a token increase. I think he'll come back for 2 years 11 mill - may be worth the team for him to help groom the future. No one will offer more cash and I don't think he's walking away from the sox at 37.

This article is Forrest Gumpian..."stupid is as stupid does"...Captain Dann and Captain Varitek are both flawed and admirable figures. Unfortunately the normally readable Mazz had a very bad day at the computer.How many teams tried to coax more from the formerly great Pudge Rodriguez ? Jason Varitek is ,and will be ,one of my favorite Red Sox of all time ...sadly his elite skill sets have eroded badly and cannot entirely be replaced by a burning desire to excel. Ted Williams knew how and when to say goodbye and we will never forget that moment.//

Keep Tek. Never underestimate the weld that holds the machine together.

Well, heck. Yaz, Jim Rice, Luis Tiant, Carlton Fisk, Dewey, they all gave the Sox many quality years too, and you don't see Theo signing *them* for long term $10 million/per contracts. Why? Because their skills went away. Is that "insulting" them somehow? No. Tek's been great for the club, and I look forward to them parading him out for special occasions for many years, but it isn't exactly astonishing that 37 year old ballplayers lose their skills. He's worth signing for a couple years at a few million - say 2 years, $5 mil - and that's about it. What, are all you guys paying big money for Sox tickets going to be thrilled at the prices going up $3/seat to give Tek a multi-year at big bucks?

I honestly can't believe there are enough of you out there that have bought into the intagibles hype myth enough to think that Varitek is still work 10-12mm per year. In any other job, if you perform that poorly you get canned, regardless of your title or what you mean to your co-workers. It is so ridiculous that you can't cut the cord and realize that he was good for three seasons in his career and has been mediocre-to-awful otherwise.

I don't care that he can supposedly 'call a game', where was that magic game-calling ability when he was leading the league in CERA?

The fans are right and you are wrong, Mazz. It's ridiculous to say the Red Sox showed the door to Damon and Martinez. They made very fair offers to both. Some damn fools south of here offered them more. So be it. I do applaud the bloggers to this column. They express some of the most thoughtful views I've ever seen in a Red Sox/Globe blog. To me it shows how much they recognize the fairness with which the Sox go about dealing with falling stars and the respect they have for Jason Varitek.

It is what it is. Jason Varitek is an excellent catcher with declining skills for the past 2 years. Any offer (if any) for more than 1 year is more than generous. This is the time to fish or cut bait. To watch him come to bat with men on base is painful. Why does he even bother to hit left handed? The spirit is strong but the skills are weak!

Those draft picks are looking pretty good, except that they're making it hard for Tek to get offers.

Boras,I'm sure,always knew that it was going to come to this.He's a used car salesman.Ever talk to one? I believe,or at least I want to believe,Jason's a nice guy.He had to know that the numbers did'nt add up.He graduated from an ENGINEERING SCHOOL!.......So brings us back to Boras the rat,snake,you name it.He is some kind of used car salesman.......but this car is damaged,loads of dents,in need of an overhaul,too.I hope Jason does come back to the Sox.He's too important and smart.The Sox DO need another catcher,but Jason is the smart one.Only,Scott Boras,the crummy salesman that he is smarter and selling used cars damaged

one year contract for veritak
option for ? years to go

I love Tek, I want him to be back in Boston next year, but enough is enough. If this guy didn't have Scott Boras by his side, he definitely would not have made the money he has in his career. With that being said he would also realize where he is needed most, where is appreciated most, where he has the best chance of winning, and where his legacy will be. He made some loot, he can still make another $20M which not many other 37 year olds with his offensive output can say. Yes he is a great leader, more so then probably any of us know. He studies the game and is great with pitchers. With that being said a team like the Dodgers, which makes no sense considering they have Russell Martin, would be stupid to sign a 37 year old catcher coming off a horrendous year. Where is he going to bat in the order, 8th? Right in front of the pitcher? Their lineup would look like this:
1. Pierre
2. Ethier
3. Kemp
4. Loney
5. Blake
6. Loretta
7. Berroa
8. Varitek
9. Pitcher

Wow big shortage in solid hitting without Manny and Martin. Good thing they spent $10M+ a year on Tek.

Nice try buddy. But sorry...YOU DON'T PAY A DEFENSE ONLY CATCHER $10M PER YEAR!!! Its that simple...

Agree with the vast majority of comments already posted - I just don't see it as a slap-in-the-face if we don't renew his contract. Being team captain doesn't imply any special treatment from a contract perspective (actually I'm not even sure what a "team captain" is in MLB) - they made a nice gesture when they re-signed him and I'm sure his leadership value has been factored into whatever offer they either have made or eventually will make to him. In the end he declined arbitration and he (or Boras) are convinced he can make more or sign for more years elsewhere - that's his choice and he deserves the ability to make that choice.

Whatever happens he's been a great Red Sox and I don't think that's diminished if he gets a better offer and chooses to go somewhere else.

Unless it's to the Yankees, of course.

Well put Mazz. Probably the best sports article I have ever read. You truly are a great writter. Sports as I have said in the past is like Politics. What can the most money get you?? Tek needs to realize that the Sox is really all there is for him, because of his salary demands, ade, and diminishing skills with the bat. The sox need to plan for the future NOW in the catching department. If Cash is not the answwer, then time to make a move while we still can. Oh and Theo, if you get to read this.... Don't tell fans your not to optimistic about making a move, because NY will get all the free agents out there if you move at a snails pace.

teks presents as a captain and a player are paramount to the entire team. to loose this with all the newer players would be hurtful for the entire team.

J.P. yours was the best read here related to this article (#39) - my thoughts exactly and well done. Maybe YOU should be in Vegas now writing for the Globe.

It just goes to show you: the poorer the article, the better the blogs. Good going Red Sox fans!

Mazz, I have enjoyed your articles in the past but what gives here??? Varitek is requesting a multi-year deal at very high numbers. Say what you will about being captain but your earnings are relative to your contribution. I own a company and each employee needs to bring in more than they earn otherwise it is not long before you are out of business. How that is measured varies by the company but in baseball, the measurements are very clear. Varitek is not pulling down the ROI for the club. If he was, many teams would be after him. They are not and this is a risk that both he and his agent decided on. They goofed. Now the Sox are in the drivers seat. While I believe he will be brought back for another year, it will not be a long-term deal nor will it be at eeexcess numbers. The Sox are making good business and ballclub decisions and should not be attacked for it.

IF THEY SIGN TEXIERA THEN SIGN TEK,THEY'LL BE ABLE TO CARRY A WEAK BAT.IF NOT TRADE FOR SALTY AND A#4 PITCHER.AND GO FROM THERE.

That is objective reporting??? Ridiculous - are you related to Tek?? - I should have used the time it took me to read this to floss

IF THEY SIGN TEXIERA THEN SIGN TEK,THEY'LL BE ABLE TO CARRY A WEAK BAT.IF NOT TRADE FOR SALTY AND A#4 PITCHER.AND GO FROM THERE.

Hey Tony, seriously? This reads like a bad Dear Abbie column.

I did not care for your article. It was too negative. Jason Varitek needs to come back, we have no other alternatives. Salty is too young and unproven. Texas does not even really want to give either Salty or Teagarden up unless they get some of our pitching pie-which Theo says he does not want to give. There is no other perfect fit for us. Jason Varitek knows his business. He knows how to lead the pitchers to victory, and support the entire playing staff, and he is an excellent planner. He had a bad year at bat, but he does not have to be great there - Papi does (and he was not), so signing Jason Varitek to a 2 or 3 year deal is reasonable. There is no one better for us than him. That's all.

Get real, Mazz.

Let's not confuse negotiation with reality. The "C" has value because the Red Sox invested it with value. If Scott Boras thinks he can sell the "C" back to the Sox during negotiations, he has another think coming. There really isn't much of a market for a 37-year old catcher with declining offensive skills. What will it be next year - around .200 for a BA? All signs point to Tek signing with the Sox for 2 years at anywhere from $4M to $7M. To any other team, he simply is not worth as much as he is to the Sox. Over the long term I can see Tek as Francona's replacement. Meanwhile Boras will do he best to get Tek as much money as he can. When reality takes over he will sign with the Sox for what they are willing to pay. It's been a great ride, but all things come to an end.

Scarlet Letter C? When I read the book it meant a sign of shame from being shunned because of adulterous misconduct. Tek is hardly being shunned if he is offered arbitration. The C is meaningful as a sign of leadership, but it is not enough to overpay for Tek.

This is one of the sillier articles I have read in a while. It is all over the place, and struggles so hard to back its vague assertions it just goes and ignores facts and history in a a weird attempt to get people all riled up. The Red Sox do run a business- and a good one at that. They have made an offer to Veritek (showing both loyalty and that the "C" does matter), but this offer reflects V-tek's diminished value. Seems fair to me. Why the bashing of the Management? It is just comes out sounding stupid. Our captain has to decide that he wants to finish his career here, and not let his agent talk him into fantasies of bigger deals. It is a two-way street.. I am saddened by this article, Tony. This is the kind of reporting that the Globe seems to be devolving into. That is what we should be mourning, not the Red Sox Management.

In all honesty, who actually believes Tek would "tutor" his replacement? Take this back to 2003 when all Tek had to do w/a man on third was a grounder to the right side or sac fly and it would have broke the back of the Yankees. They had just knocked Clemens out of the game and had the momentum--they have to bring in Mussina--the route was on. Who comes up? Tek. He strikes out--as usual. How many big hits has the guy had in his career--aside from nailing A-Rod?
I remember saying it back then, "Sac fly--one more run, game over." We would have never needed Grady Little's fiasco. That has always been his "production at the plate. I think it was Finn who wrote about Varitek being the worst linedrive hitter in the big leagues. He will have a place in our hearts but as BB says, "Dont need to fit him for a HOF jacket." And all these "personal problems" people keep excusing him for--that is what happens when you are not faithful.

This is by far the worst article you have written thus far for Boston.com. You're normally great but jeez! Are you Godfather to one of Tek's kids? I hope someone out there never puts you in any sort of influential position on a professional sports team.

Varitek = Replacement Player

Will he work for major leagune minimum? At least Kevin Cash can catch Wake while batting .220

And lets see 'Tek may not be the Family Guy he portrayed all these years ("Heidi Game" now has an MLB as well as an NFL meaning). And 'gez didn't his power drop sharply after testing?

No wonder I don't read the Herald. Tek made $10 million a year for basically being a catching Alex Cora, and he's now being treated badly by the Sox? Give me a break - the guy can't even catch anymore or did you miss the two fastballs he whiffed on in the playoffs? If he wants to stay in Boston, it's got to be at a number that's just not insane.

Real captain's don't need a C on their jersey. This guy's a fraud. That being said I hope the Sux give him for $60 million over 5 years.

Slow times in Las Vegas call for desperate measures, but this was not Mazz's finest hour. Like other heavy-duty Sox watchers I admire Tek enormously and believe he still ahs a lot to offer the club; I hope the Sox and he come to agreement on a deal that works for both parties. At this point in both Tek's and the Sox' circumstances, it makes sense for the Sox to resign Jason for two years at about 7 or 8 mil per year; he would earn that money, starting and/or splitting time with an heir in training, and it might even enable the Sox to take their time and groom one of their own instead of sending a grade A pitching prospect to Texas for Salty or Teagarden, though the latter still looks possible. We'll see what happens. But both parties have approached this matter in a businesslike fashion, as no doubt they should.

Mazz,
I agree with several posts that you have not thought this piece out well. Go back four years ago. Tek wanted that 5th year. He didn't get it. Sox held firm and apparently there were no other suitors for 5 years. Tek has that same problem now. He wants two years and no one will give it to him. The Sox are probably offering that 5th year (~$11 mil) now.
I guess things are pretty slow in Vegas.

IS THIS A PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL TEAM
OR
A FAMILY????

TEK HAD SOME GREAT YEARS..... POINT BEING "HAD"....

HE CAN'T SWING ANYMORE.... IT'S LIKE 1 LESS HITTER IN THE LINEUP.

Varitek is done

I think that Varitek has been one of the most over paided and over rated players over the past 4 years. He consistently gets the credit when pitchers do well and gets no blame for when they stink up the joint. He was offered salary arbitration (which I thought was a bad move by the sox management) and then turned it down.

He is out of touch with reality. I would say only 2 out of the last 4 years has he earned his salary. Time for the sox to move on and for varitek to get a dose of reality.

I couldn't disagree with you more Mazz. Giving someone a captaincy is a great honor. It is a recognition of the the respect and singular importance the player has on the team. Even though contracts bridge seasons, a new team is actually formed every year. Varitek was given the captaincy for the time he was on the team and under contract. The "C" does not stand for life-long "contract", or bargaining "chip", but for captain, and that's precisely what Varitek was for the Boston Red Sox from the 2005-2008 seasons. If anything, Varitek should take less to stay with the Red Sox. As captain, doesn't he owe the Red Sox as much as you say the team owes him? Afterall, he underperformed last year and yet still got paid his ten million dollar salary? And now the fact is, he's a thirty-six year old catcher with diminishing skills. Loyalty is a two way street. As far as the "C" goes, please get it straight, it was Varitek's honor to receive and not the Red Sox's honor to bestow.

Nomar Garciaparra was traded. Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon, and Derek Lowe were all but ushered out the door. Manny Ramirez departed in an ironical blaze of glory.
This quote bugs the hell out of me. It makes a statement that to the unknowing reader that the RS did not try and keep these guys.
Nomar rejected a contract in ST and got hurt and has not been the same since. Thank you Nomar for being a greedy person.
Pedro let's see he played the RS against the Mets and on the 4th yr the RS said no. So he signed with the Mets and got injured and has not been the same since,
Thank you Pedro for being a greedy person.
JD "I'll never play for the Yankees" except of course when they offered him a contract and he had 24 hrs to accept and he did when the RS did not meet the same numbers. He's been good still but he is still a greedy person.
Lowe had 1 or 2 good games at the end of the season and TY for the WS win but his stats had declined. He was not the DL of 2 years before. He left as a FA.
Manny Manny and "...left in an ironical blaze of glory..." PLEASE explain how a player who quit on his teammates was ushered out and in an ironical blaze of glory? He was and is a quitter who despite makin 20 million quit because he was not gauranteed another 40 mil the next two years. He's worse than just greedy, he's a pig.

So Tony it might be nice to tell the truth rather than make statements that you could defend but are ones that are not the truth in any sense.

The key word here is DEPTH. If the sox bring back Tek, they still lack depth at catcher. Bringing back Tek and bringing in another, younger cather with him makes sense.

Or, the Sox could trade for a younger catcher that's ready to be an everyday MLB player, such as Salty.

There's no 'one right answer' here...

The C- means nothing.

Are we talking about a professional baseball organization or a family?

Tek can swing anymore, he's an offensive liability, yeah he had a bad season last year, but the glory days are over.

Welcome to Japanese baseball via Boston.
It's like having one less hitter at the plate, every game. He might be lucky, to hit an opposite field, single.

Get a young catcher who can hit. All everyone talks about is his defense. Who cares, if he can't hit his own weight

please do not sign tek, please! I cannot stand another year of an automatic out (or standed runners, or gidps or weak whiffs...). And if it's three years (for $18M, $24M, whatever), then just shoot me now.
And Mazz, that was an idiotic article. If you're going to step out on the limb with your opinion, then at least finish it. What length/price contract should the Sox offer Varitek? Tell us.

Tony,

Your articles usually make some sense, not this one. You are making the Red Sox out to be more cold blooded and calculating than Scott Boras (Varitek's agent) Give us a break. If Varitek wants to come back he will, as long as he is realistic about the value he currently brings to the table, which is markedly LESS than what Boras claims it to be.

I guess writers have to make stuff up to survive.....got to write about something....

What a stretch. Scarlet letter? Please. Varitek certainly earned every penny of his last deal and has as much to do with the recent success of the Sox as anyone. But at the end of the day his time has come. Give him one year with club option for one more at $8M per. If he finds better money elsewhere (where?), say thanks for the memories. Next?

I have to say I agree with most of the comments here. Seems like this article was written by one of Boras's interns.

'Tek was terrific but his time has passed. If he'll stay for two years at "cheap" money, fine. Otherwise, thanks for the memories.

I might be older than most of the readers, but when I learned that the B's had traded Phil Esposito, I stopped expecting players to stick around forever.

As for Will in comment 20 - "and although you can question some of [Theo's] signings, it's hard to question his decisions to let players walk away," I think the Sox would have been significantly better the last 4 seasons with Cabrera at SS than anyone else who has come and gone through that revolving door.

Indeed, Tek has been a very valuable player and leader. However, we could possibly say that in 2008 had he had at least an ''average'' season and playoff season (.250-.260) at bat, the Sox might have won the playoffs and World Series.
I don't think his hitting is going to get any better. What he's done in the past helped the Sox win, but his value for the future seems to be his presence, not his performance. I don't know if he's worth it.
den666

I think this is a great article. It swirls around the the symbolism of the letter "C" and captures how precarious of a situation the Red Sox have in making sure this sitatuation satisies the fiscal, emotional, and talent demands of the team. The whole point of the artice, as I see it, is to express how unique of a situation the Red Sox are facing, and how the Red Sox leadership is being tested. Will they maintain their hard-line stance against declining, overpaid vets? Or will they give in to the idea that the "C" is more important than the lack of skills the player has left? The way they handle Varitek will effect the Red Sox organization for years to come, in terms of both the front office philosophy and the on-the-field results.

Terrible article. Let's not forget players try their best to shine in a contract year. They do everything they can to show their worth not just to the team they play for but to all teams. It's sometimes ridiculous to me how some players perform exponentially better in their contract to ever years compared to previous seasons because they make too much money not be giving it their all. However this 37 year old catcher performed miserably at the plate and his arm is nothing to write home about. I can't even remeber the last time he consistently made plays on runners trying to score at home either. His leadership skills, the game he calls, and the fact that he keeps catching a no-hitter a couple times every three years is the reason why wrere even talking aout a contract let alone a high salaried one. I'll be completely proven wrong if this ends with Varitek getting anything close to what he wants because a less established player would be getting cut with those numbers. What statistics are you looking at Mazz to suggest we are being anything but overly fair to a .220 hitter right now?

Gimme a break......he is NO Captain to lead anyone.....his carnal lust for women outside his marriage is legendary....not just with this homewrecker, Heidi Watley [sp]...this Lothario Captain had blondes before....his baseball expertise is on the wane...that is cyrasal clear.....no team is going to pay him by his longevity in the game....He's....a joke .....of a hitter now....the Red Sox are stuck with his lame-azz but can cut-rate his tribute quite abit downward ....Hey, Lover-boy wanna play for slow quarters now??

You don't really take this fellow Mazz seriously, do you? He broke into the "big time" with some scoops coming out of his connections with the ball club, but he's never really had anything insightful to say. And he has all of the emotional maturity of a ten-year old boy. Makes you really appreciate Gammons, who is one of the only sports writers who actually grew up.

Let me ask you, how bad would JV have to be offensively before you thought the Res Sox had overreached ?

Tek is playing the Sox for all their worth because he's going to have to pay a lot in alimony over the coming years.

Ridiculous- the Sox offered him arbitration. Varitek didn't lose his job. If he wants to play somewhere else, that's his business. But the Sox made him a fair offer, based on his performance last year. If Varitek were confident in his skills, he would sign the one year deal, have a monster year, and then cash in with a multi-year deal.

"and he was willing to sacrifice potentially silly money while nonetheless making enough real-world dollars to acquire long-term financial security for him and his entire family. " Tony, $4Mil a year is just adequate? My God, have you read your own newspaper's accounts of the mass layoffs happening around the world? Tone; come join us in the real world.

Mo Vaughn left for more money, Roger Clemens left for more money, Nomar Garciaparra was traded because his contract was up and he wanted more money, Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon left for more money, Derek Lowe was not wanted and we couldent get rid of Manny except for free. Jason Varitek had a chance to stay for $10,000,000.00 and said no. Is this a pattern, is it called greed or should we be nice and call it freedom. All except Nomar, Manny, and Lowe had to go. They are not starving so bye, bye.

I love Tek but his agent asked for 52 mil over 4 yrs... some how that was left out of the article. Based on those numbers the Sox don't even have a realistic starting point to negotiate. I'll admit you are dramatic, but this article is just plain silly.

Varitek is Red Sox family. He will be a member of the family in 2009 and beyond. He deserves a fair salary and fair term that exceeds the total amount what he would have made if he accepted the arbitration figure. He should be a part of the team after he retires - that would make all of Red Sox Nation proud. We're confident and yet hopeful that he'll be back.

I never thought I would live to see a world series championship over my life time in Boston and now I've seen two, one in 2004 and the other in 2007. I have to say that neither one would have been possible without Jason Varitek. If the organization, team, and fans want to see more world series championships in Boston, they will do whatever it takes to sign him.

Veritek has made more money in his career than Wakefield. Why not accept that fact and agree to a "reasonable" deal with a lifetime renewal option at the Sox discretion? Is he that greedy?

Also, why does Veritek need Boras? He seems smart enough to cut his own deal and make things simple. Like Wake.

In the history of baseball, has any player ever worn a "C"? Not only does it look totally stupid, I'm surprised MLB even allowed it (remember when they questioned Timlin about his camo t-shirt? or when people write things on hats?). Most teams do not even have captains. It is a meaningless thing in baseball (although I understand the Yankee tradition). And Varitek was lame to agree to wearing it. The stunt was one of the few klunkers this management has come up with - "Hey I got an idea!. Let's copy the NHL!" I don't even think it was to sell jerseys. I think someone high up actually thought it was a cool idea. I hope when the next captain is named, he rips that thing off, and gives it to an NHL team, then goes out and and leads by example.

YES, re-sign Tek. The Red Sox have no other options. Dusty Brown and George Kottaras aren't ready for the big stage yet. At first I thought packaging Coco with Michael Bowden for Saltlamacchia or Laird would make the most sense, but obviously that can't happen anymore. Then I thought the Sox would go for a young player like Paulino from the Pirates or Montero from the D-Backs, but right now it just makes the most sense to bring the captain back for at least this year. Hopefully by then, Brown or Kottaras can take Kevin Cash's old spot and develop into something consistent.

Youkillis/Pedroia for President 2012

Maybe Tek should fire Boras and hire Peddy's agent. Boras is a PIG and only interested in "HIS" cut of the action. Agents like Boras should be blackballed from MLB. The yankees were dead on when they told ARod they never wanted to see Boras in a negotiating situation again and if Arod had him as an agent then Arod can go elsewhere. Kudos to the Yankees.

I DON'T think MAZ will get back the chunk of respect he lost by writing this lame article..... he's a small guy, so he has to be careful.

This article is a joke, Varitek was slightly better than any guy we can pull out of triple A and he wants a contract like he's an all-star, Varitek is a joke at this point in his career and I see no reason to give him anything above market value, which is whatever the sox offer him because no one else is interested in an aging, well below average catcher.

I believe he should be given a contract as the team looks up to him and he does alot with the pitchers. He works almost every game and is a symbol of the Red Sox. We need him. He could also start training a backup catcher that could help out the team instead of having to carry all the games himself.

The very first post is incredibly bizarre. "Perplexed by one sidedness"?? Read the headline, BP. It's about Varitek, period.

I get so sick of people who read something and whine that it didn't cover every possible connected subject or nuance. It is what it is, and what it SAYS it is in the headline... read it or not, but don't expect it to be something else!

Pedroia and co. will realize that they get the millions up front, then they might say thank you and walk too... Mazz,, what is with that.. the sox have paid their players hansomely, and the fans have paid much to much for tickets over the years, that pay for those players... Tek got $40 million plus from the fans and spectators, he has no beef... he should thank them and fire Borat! The piece of greed that he is... it has so ruined the sport.. Tek should have been more reasonable, realizing that his taking real money would help them get a player in his prime that would help them win again...

Tony,

You must have had a tall glass of Scott Boras Kool-Aid. The Red Sox know there is no market for Jason Varitek at the price he is looking for. They know that a two-year offer will be more than anyone else will give him.

Four years ago, the Red Sox signed Varitek to a 4-year/$40 million contract when there were no other serious offers. Wasn't that respect? The Sox even got criticized by some in the media for bidding against themselves.

Now, Tek wants a four year deal after a year and a half of sub-par offensive numbers and diminishing defensive skills. All he has left are his "intangibles" and his handling of the staff. Most teams are not going to be able to afford his salary demands.

In the end, he will realize that there is no market for him and come back to the Red Sox, where he still has some value as a leader. The Red Sox just aren't going to make the mistake of overpaying him.

If the Sox sign him, they are getting half a catcher. He hits left handed pitching fairly well; he's not so good at hitting righties or throwing out runners. If the Sox want a catcher to play against lefties, they can pay a reduced rate for Tek and hope not many runners from the other team reach it to first base.

As long as these guys demand millions a year for playing baseball, they get what comes. If they can get the money, good for them, but don't have any sympathy if they don't get what they want, and nobody else should either.

This article has to be one of the dumbest I have ever seen. Every former Red Sox player mentioned left exactly at the right time or a year too late.

What is the fascination with Varitek anyway? He has been grossly overrated and overpaid for the past four years. It is painful to watch him attempt to bat or throw out a runner at this stage of his career. Further, if we are going to give him credit for handling the pitchers so well, how about some of the blame when Dice-K walks 6 guys, Beckett has an off-year, Buchholtz outright fails or anyone else in the bullpen falls apart. I've never understood why he gets so much credit for the success of the pitching staff but no one thinks of him when the pitchers aren't performing. Further, he clearly has an aversion to catching Wake and has zero value as a DH or other positional backup.

It it beyond absurd to think he will contribute to a championship-caliber team. It is really time for him to consider retirement or coming back as a backup to a young catcher at a fraction of last year's salary.

As for the baseball "business" let's not forget that Varitek has ALWAYS been all about the money, ever since leaving Georgia Tech. To infer the Red Sox are doing something wrong by not rushing to re-sign him to an over-priced deal is just stupid.

And yes, the younger players should pay attention. If you insist on getting overpaid for underperformance, you will be be asked not to let the door hit you on the ass when you leave.

I have to compliment everyone who responded here, there are some great comments. I’m afraid of what will happen to the Sox if Tek goes. I oh so vividly remember 2006 when he was injured. The Sox fell apart and whether you can attribute it to Tek’s absence is questionable. Seemed like it was the reason though. Were going to have to say goodbye to the guy soon and if it’s not now, it will in the next two years. Maybe Tek should try to be a third person in his own career and realize he’s not worth the kind of money he wants. I’d love to see him stay, but 2 years 14 mil is a bit more realistic.

Tony, I think you spent too much time in Vegas sharing tea and crumpets with Boras!! Did he put you on his payroll to publish this garbage? Offering him arbitration and 10 million plus is overpaying. He turned it down. Ten million dollars supported by a .220 average!! HE TURNED IT DOWN!!! Wake up and smell the tea and/or crumpets! Cmon the Red Sox owe him nothing. Where is his loyalty? I'm sure all the working stiffs that are struggling to get by are really sympathetic.
Veritek has been great. I can buy he is the most prepared catcher in baseball. I agree the pitchers love him. That said, are we to believe Beckett, Dice K and Lester would suddenly not be able to execute their pitches without him? Their talent is the reason they are top of the rotation starters, not Jason!!

So your point is that because they appointed him captain they should sign him to a deal that makes no business sense? Does the argument work the other way - that is when he accepted the "Captian" title that he was taking on a responsibility that should prevent him from trying to squeeze every last nickel out of the Red Sox?
You really must be a complete idiot to have written this article.

A gold glove receiver who wouldn't /couldn't catch Wakefield?Didn't want to chance the miscuesfrom the knuckleball.Wow-what a captain-real leadership.Also please don't put that ridiculous looking C on anybody else.

The second I finished reading your article I blazed by the 171 or so comments to post mine. I've never posted a comment in the past. While blazing by the comments I glanced a look at a few, and I see others feel as I do. I am offended by your article. Boras' stated demands for Tek are an outrage. If Tek had the integrity we project on him, he would choose to end his career with the Red Sox, rather than trying to cash in. He was paid handsomely for his career with the Red Sox. I enjoy reading your articles, and am at time perplexed by the vicious comments left by some readers. I hope you read my comment. My projection is that there is enormous pressure put on the Globe writers to come up with new stories -- when there are none -- and you missed the exit on this one and went to the dark side. I am a working person like anyone else. I have to negotiate for my services. Most of us struggle to achieve fair value. For you to take the side of an extortionist is offensive. Tony, please, talk to Mark Wahlberg's goat about this article. Seriously, talk to your therapist about this one.

Look, Varitek is everything that's wriiten about him regarding the team. Ultimate team player, team mate, meticulous in his preparation, etc, etc.

However, two things can't be overlooked: 1) you can't stop time and its effects, and 2) out of all the agents in the world you could choose, you chose Scot Boras.

For Varitek, C may stand for captain, but it may also stand for cash. It's obviously a two way street.

This is the most silly article I have read for years. People are paid $10MM /year for doing miraculous things, like hitting 96 mile fastballs or 86 mile sliders. If he can't, he makes what we are all making. Pity those who never sniff $10MM in a life time.

In the end, I think Tek truly wants to stay in Boston, and I think he will. I think if they offer him a fair 2 year deal, he takes it. The problem is Boras who seems to have the need to squeeze every penny out...and the one thing I don't like about Tek is that he lets someone like that represent him. Hopefully in the end, he tells Boras to take the deal with the sox, he and his family stay in Newton where they are happy and Tek retires in a Sox uniform and completes the great legacy he started here...

Time to move on, thank you for the memories and go out with dignity---as a "C" should. Is it about money or respect??

Some of you Sox fans need to turn in your man card with your crush on the captain. Grow a pair. He is a horrible player. He can't hit, run, throw or handle a knuckle ball.
Mazz you're a wimp. Why don't you move in with Tek, he's divorced.

"At the end of the day, the captain of the Red Sox is just another guy who wore the uniform, ..."
Well maybe, but with a cold blooded agent.
That changes, has changed, it all.
Nothing regular -- by the way most of us live and work -- there.

You missed the boat on this one Mazz! This has got to be one of your worst pieces ever.

It's a business. There's nothing cold about it. Players have their time, then their time passes, and it's somebody else's time. That's life.

Hey, Tony, do you want to go back to the Tom Yawkey time and ways, when again and again we fell in love with players past their prime and never, ever won anything? I don't. A guy gets some years in the limelight? More years than you or I ever got. Gather the rosebuds while ye may.

If Tek wanted to act like a captain he should take less money to stay. Just like Tom Brady did with the Pats. I know the sports are different becuase of the salary cap in football, but thats what captains do. Team first,"me" second. Varitek is lucky to have been offered a contract after his dismal season. If he wanted to be paid like a susperstar he needs the numbers to back it, not just intangibles.

C'MON MAZZ YOU'VE WRITTEN SOME EXCELLENT COLLUMS,BUT FEELING
SORRY FOR VARITEK..ARE YOU NUTS. WORKING STIFFS ARE TRYING TO
PAY BILLS THEY CAN HARDLY MEET. TEK WAS OFFERED 8 MILLION FOR ONE YEAR....HE TURNED IT DOWN!!!! HE'S LUCKY IF HE'S WORTH 5
MILLION. MOST PLAYERS ARE WHINERS AND GREEDHOGS, NO BETTER
THAN WALLSTREET, HOLLYWOOD AND POLITICIANS. I AM SO HAPPY THE
YANKEES GAVE THAT FAT ASS CC $160 MILLION. MARK MY WORDS THIS GUY CANT PITCH IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE. HE'LL BE 14 AND 11 NEXT YEARYEAR.

'C' as in C you later? Give me a break.
Varitek should be signed, as the guy who catches 40-50 games a year, at a realistic price. If that can't be achieved, the Red Sox should no be perceived as villians.
There. There's the equivalent of your 800 words. Way to fill column space.
'C' you later, Mazz.

Four years as captain strikes me as being quite a lot -- how long do players hold the title when they play for college teams? Nothing is forever - certainly not a professional athlete's career. It's one thing to provide an office and a title of "faculty emeritus" for a beloved educator. for as long as they live after they retire. They still perform an important function, even if it is diminished from their heyday. It's different with a professional athlete in these days when everything revolves around "what are you doing for the team now?" I suppose that there are sentimental reasons for offering big bucks and multiple years to someone who has been important to the team, who can contribute mightily but less multi-dimensionally for a couple years. Boras destroys this ideal with his "push-the-limit-for -every-dollar" approach to representing players. Why not invite both Varitek & the Red Sox recognize his contributions, admit to his limitations, and maybe come to an agreement with an approach like Wakefield's?

Tek didn't volunteer to give back a portion of his salary last year while batting under .200 w/ runners in scoring position. He was over paid for under performing. Only a Boras client or spoiled millionaire athlete would come to the conclusion he deserves more next year.

Sabathia signs a contract for $161 million. One guy = $161 Million, which is 1% of the amount the US government is debating about saving the entire us auto industry full of millions of workers. Folks that think baseball players are worth tens of millions of dollars let alone hundreds need a reality check.

Millions of people losing their jobs and we need to shed tears for grown men playing a kid's game getting paid millions, tens of millions, no hundreds of millions of dollars. Unbelievable. Hopefully someday our country will wake up and get priorities straight.

Idiotic article.

Baseball is not a cold business, anything but. It is a passionate and murderous business. But whether you hold 'em or fold 'em, better get a grip on yourself or you will not be long at that table.
If Varitek does not want to stay year to year, by all means let him find a place to demonstrate his incomparabe talents and show us the error of our ways.
This guy has caught up to his last fastball, so he's trying to throw one by baseball.
Nobody is biting so far.

Well Mazz, if you believe in the Wisdom of Crowds, you completely blew this piece on Varitek. Around 90% of the 180 comments say you're way off base. They're right - any player that hires Boras rightfully gets zero sympathy from the fans.

If Varitek was not using Boras he would get a better deal. In whose world was Tek worth what Boras asked for? Everybody has now been scared off and the sox will not pay.
When they negociated 4 years ago the 4th year was a real sticking point because of the opinion that Varitek would decline. They were right, game over.
Our captain loves the team but would happlily hamstring the entire ballclub with a ludicrous contract?
Wakefield deal.

Hey Mazz,

Cry me a frigging river. Something tells me Tek will land on his feet regardless of what happens. The days of players getting paid for what they are expected to produce rather than what they have produced in their prime are long overdue. Tek has made his money. He has his rings. If he ends up earning $1 million playing for the Kansas City Royals, something tells me he'll be just fine. And if not, he has only himself to blame. When Boras started talking about wanting a Posada-type deal, Tek should have grabbed him by the neck and knocked some sense into him. He just hit .220 in his age 37 year. Most catchers who fit that bill should be thankful for a job.

Speaking of which, I came into my office today to find that 75 of my coworkers were laid off. Maybe they should hire Scott Boras to find go out and find THEM jobs. I'm sure he'll do a bang-up job at that.

The highest value for Varitek would be if someone else were actually willing to sign him and the Sox get a number 1 and sandwich draft pick. Then they can trade on kid pitcher for a catcher who could throw out runners and actually hit.

If they can not get the draft picks due to no interest by spring, settle on two years at 11million in total as they would have paid that for one year in arbitration.

Tek is one of the greatest Bosox ever! One or two year deal at the most is all he's worth at age 37. Boras is the problem here. If Tek gets a sweet deal somewhere else more power. I'm sticking with Theo's instincts. He was right about Pedro, Nomar, and Damon. Not much of a market for an old catcher coming off his worst year at the plate. Say in Boston Jason. It's where you belong.

ML

I have no love for any owner, and at the same time honestly I have no real idea about the character of the players I cheer on. I guess your article is somehow premised on the notion that baseball is a cold business in disguise. I think they all are, that is business, and baseball owners never struck me as especially warm or altruistic. As a fan of the Red Sox, who cares about the team they field, I think it makes sense to bring Varitek back for two years, but to also bring someone else in to lighten his load. He can act as a tutor to a younger catcher. Yes, Henry and his boys are corporate-types for sure, but again from a baseball perspective, would Terry Francona want to have managed Pedro last year, or even the year before?

Mazz, are we supposed to be impressed that you read a book? It seems like you decided the analogy was brilliant and then forced an article out of it. This should have been killed as soon as you painted Boras as the Robin to Tek's Batman.

Damn, i have seen Mazz take a beating for many an article and sat on the fence thinking the dude should be cut some slack as an everyday beat writer, but this article is so one-sided, so pathetic in its assertions and so ridiculous in its conclusions that i have to FINALLY takes sides. I am not reading Mazz anymore... when a generally world class sports legacy lets this type of garbage printed in its sports section to stand as meritorious journalism, all i can say is that it's a sad day for all. Mazz, this was as absolutely as brutal an article as Tek's typical late game AB's. I am done with you. You write too often for sensationalism. Dan O'S can do that because he's got depth and forethought. Chad can do it because he's right, uncannily accurate and prognostic more often than not. You regurgitate common fact mixed with uncommon incompetence. Good luck riding out the string, because judging by the growing wave of 'manhate' for you, you'll be the lead sports writer in Bangor or N Conway or some other New England version of a Siberian outpost in just a year or two.

Tek has long been a valuable member of the team and has been adequately compensated for it. Now his physical abilities are fading, but his knowledge of playing the position is not. His main value to the team from this point forward is most likely in training his successor. Give him a 2 year contract as a player/ catcher coach with an option for 3 - 5 years as a coach. That should make everyone happy. I see two huge problems here: 1) Scott Boras' ego and advice and 2) Tek's ego and failure to recognize when it is time to step down. The second could be easily overcome were it not for the first. Tek should get rid of Boras and get with the program.

Jason is a once in a life time catcher. He will win far more games behind the plate
than A Rod or Texiera will with their bats. Shilling would have no-hitter No. 5 for Jason if Curt had listened. He is not worth 10 mil a year as a player, but as a team
leader AND catcher, near that ammount. without him the Red Sox will not win more than 80 games this year. That's what my over 60 years as a fan and student
of the game has to say!

I think Mazz has, as usual, written an excellent article. I don't always agree with every point he makes, but he is thoughtful, well-informed, and doesn't seem to play particular favorites.

It's interesting to see that folks are reacting either by saying the author is demonizing the team or Varitek. It's often said that if you manage to offend both sides of an argument, you've done a pretty good job of striking a balance.

Keep it up Mazz. I like your work and I always hated going to the Herald web site...

First of all the "Captain" thing is a joke in today's professional sports because of the movement of players. It was another cheap publicity stunt, like the new uniforms, designed to grab some attention and maybe sell some merchandise.

Yes people, we are dealing with a business. I'll leave the "cold" or "brutal" adjectives to specific cases. The Red Sox management is trying to increase revenues while controlling costs and following a long-term plan. The players, and all of us, should be doing the same thing.
I cringe when I hear fans lament critisise players for taking a measly million or ten million from another team. Yes, if you were given (that give as in not work or earn) a chance to take 10 million to live in Boston, or 12 million to move to Atlanta, you may take the "hometown" discount. But that is not what is happening with these players. Every player in MLB today picked up roots when they were a teenager and moved to some podunk to pursue thier dream. If they were good enough, they got
to move again and maybe two or three times just in the minors. I don't for a minute feel sorry for these guys, they are all super talented guys getting paid to follow a dream, but it is an effort, not a "gift". I think some fans don't appreciate that.

Look at Damon. He was slammed for leaving Boston to go to the Yankees and not taking a "hometown" discount. Hometown? Give me a break. Damon is from Florida. He was drafted as a top prospect by the Royals. I have no idea what his minor league journey was, but he made the Royals and was a great, and generally underappreciated player there for years. He was traded to the A's and then signed with the Red Sox as a free agent. Florida, one or two podunks, Missouri, California, Boston. He bought on to the deal that, to pursue his dream and riches, he would have to "sacrafice" some everyday comfort. "Gee Johnny, how could you consider moving from your home of a whole four years and sign with the most storied baseball franchise of all time for a measly 10 million more"?

Grow up people and feel happy if you are Red Sox fan because they are one of the teams that can play at the big table of top free agents if they want to.

1. First of all the "Captain" thing is a joke in today's professional sports because of the movement of players. It was another cheap publicity stunt, like the new uniforms, designed to grab some attention and maybe sell some merchandise.
Yes people, we are dealing with a business. I'll leave the "cold" or "brutal" adjectives to specific cases. The Red Sox management is trying to increase revenues while controlling costs and following a long-term plan. The players, and all of us, should be doing the same thing.
I cringe when I hear fans lament critizize players for taking a measly million or ten million from another team. Yes, if you were given (that give as in not work or earn) a chance to take 10 million to live in Boston, or 12 million to move to Atlanta, you may take the "hometown" discount. But that is not what is happening with these players. Every player in MLB today picked up roots when they were a teenager and moved to some podunk to pursue thier dream. If they were good enough, they got
to move again and maybe two or three times just in the minors. I don't for a minute feel sorry for these guys, they are all super talented guys getting paid to follow a dream, but it is an effort, not a "gift". I think some fans don't appreciate that.
Look at Damon. He was slammed for leaving Boston to go to the Yankees and not taking a "hometown" discount. Hometown? Give me a break. Damon is from Florida. He was drafted as a top prospect by the Royals. I have no idea what his minor league journey was, but he made the Royals and was a great, and generally underappreciated player there for years. He was traded to the A's and then signed with the Red Sox as a free agent. Florida, one or two podunks, Missouri, California, Boston. He bought on to the deal that, to pursue his dream and riches, he would have to "sacrafice" some everyday comfort. "Gee Johnny, how could you consider moving from your home of a whole four years and sign with the most storied baseball franchise of all time for a measly 10 million more"?
Grow up people and feel happy if you are Red Sox fan because they are one of the teams that can play at the big table of top free agents if they want to.

I can't help to think that Mazz signed a Boras-written piece. What's the pay-off? Full disclosure please!!!

Mazz you're trying to talk sense to the Fenway fatheads. They look at Nomar and say good riddance. Considering all he did for the sox and charity in Boston, he was then ushered out on a rail. J Henry had said they offered him the same $45 Mil deal as the one he turned down, but that was not the facts. The second offer to Nomar had a great deal of the money deferred. Tek has been one of the major reasons the pitching has been as good as it has for this long, but they want an instant slugger at the catching position. Look what the the FF did to Shilling. Without him, you would STILL be looking for a World Series ring.

Your article has forced me to write a post which I never do. I am a big fan of Varitek as a player, catcher and captain, but he is 37 years old and his skills in hitting and defense have declined tremendously. The fact that the Red Sox offered arbitration and are considering paying Varitek anything disproves your point that they make these decisions without emotion. This is not a logical business decision. Clearly, they think highly of Tek and want to continue the relationship as long as possible. But he is not worth the kind of contract he obviously believes.

Tony, how can you say baseball is a cold business? As long as you can deliver you stay on the field surrounded by fans, every human need supplied for you, making more than the average worker in any business does, with newspaper folk like yourself recording every "heroic" action. Does it end when you can no longer deliver physically? Sure it does. I don't know if you noticed, but it works that way for all of us one way or another in every business. Tek is a very good leader on the field, and it seems stunning to me that the two sides cannot work out a deal for two years for the same money he is getting now with an agreement to stay with the organization upon retiring. That would show class on both sides and allow the team to transition to the catcher of the next generation while Tek is allowed to mentor the younger players and gradually fade to elder statesman, much like Yaz did in the early 80s. That's what Tek should be telling Boras to offer, and that way everyone wins.

Spooky, the inane sexism was uncalled for, if you didn't like what was written just say so like a man...
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If 'tek really wants to stay with the Sox, he will; it's up to him really. Otherwise, the Sox would not have risked offering him arbitration (which he declined).

I don't get how letting a guy go who is statistically past his productive years and who was far and away the worst offensive player on the team last year might send a wrong "message" to the team. He got his C as captain YEARS ago. I mean, no one expects the Sox to dole out big money for a guy who can't hit better than Kevin Cash (or me, with a little practice, for that matter) and who would be an exception to the rule of aging catchers playing, well, precpitiously worse than in their prime. Doesn't NOT paying him send the correct message? It says, 'Hey, if you stink we just can't pay you because you're a veteran of the team."

the question is, will the managers!!

The whole 'Tek issue reminds me of when something similar was happening with Mike Piazza. I think that most Mets fans will agree that Mike Piazza will always be a Met, long after any hard feelings from splitting with them are gone.

The same goes for Jason Varitek.

A lot of these kinds of issues would disappear if free agent contracts were structured differently. Instead of getting more money each year, why not pay the player more money at the beginning of the contract, then reduce the salary as the contract comes to an end? That way, a team would not have to make some of these kinds of decisions. At the end of the contract, when the player is in decline, the player would be payed more in line with his contributions. This would reduce the number of silly trades that are made in the last year of a contract, and might also reduce hard feelings when negotiating the next contract.

I know it will never happen, but I think it should be considered.

I'm with you Joe. He's done. Add Schilling to that list as well. They have done all they can, other than take up a roster spot for someone more helpful to the cause.

Looks like the sox have the leverage right now and Tek better understand that. He had the leverage 4 years ago and got the $40 mil. No team will go 3 years so he should be happy with a 2 year deal in the $8-10M range per year.

But Varitek? Go back and look. When Billy Beane nearly became general manager of the Red Sox, it was learned that one of Beane's first maneuvers might have been to subtract Varitek and add someone like Mark Johnson.

Are you kidding me. Billy (the kid) Beane. Good example, how's that working out for you Billy. Loser.

Totally biased article. You're bashing the Red Sox, when it's Varitek who chose Scott Bora$$ as his agent? Unreal.

You know I cannot believe the one sidedness of this article. Are you that out of touch with the real world. Most Red Sox fans make no where near the kind of $ the Red Sox have offered Varitek. So seven million a year is tough for you to swallow get real. His agent is a horses behind who will whore his own mother out for the right amt of money. The Manny fiasco was created by Boras. Why don't you write that maybe Varitek would be signed by now if his agent had not built up his ego and that of our beloved Manny. If I were the Red Sox I would make you starve for next season.

We are in the midst of the biggest financial crisis in the past seventy-nine years. Unemployment has surged, Americans are struggling as many have not in our lifetime, and the American standard of living is falling.

Meanwhile, Massarotti worries about how the Red Sox might be hurting the feelings of an aging star with declining skills whose principal worry is where his next twelve to twenty million dollars comes from.

Nobody questions Varitek's work ethic. We willingly grant him credit for his role in shepherding the Red Sox pitching staff through recent success, achievement earned through a greater focus on run prevention. Varitek has sacrificed his body for the Red Sox, from daily ice immersions to recovery from serious injury. But we also recognize that payment accrues for real and anticipated production, not solely for past accomplishments.

It really doesn't matter that many Bay Staters work far more hours than Varitek, for causes often more noble, teachers, nurses, public safety officials, and others simply just trying to feed their families, heat their homes, and educate their children. Virtually all of these residents didn't each earn forty million bucks the past four years.

Athletes and entertainers simply get paid on a different scale, as their performance is scalable, as their product attracts more paying customers.

I hope that Jason Varitek returns to the Red Sox next season. His contribution to the organization deserves recognition, and his charity minigolf fundraising deserves recognition, too. But let's be realistic about the distinction between price and value. An overinflated price is what the Red Sox will pay. Declining value is what the Red Sox are likely to get.

Re-Sign Varitek! He is the heart & soul of this team. He is repsonsible for the success of many of our younger players.
Nuff Said.