By declining arbitration, Jason Varitek is one step closer to the door. Apparently Scott Boras is hard at work creating a market for an aging catcher who hits .220, can’t throw runners out, and wants ten million bucks per year.
Jason Varitek’s agent, Scott Boras, has a lot of confidence that his client will have some options in the free agent market before all is said and done. The Red Sox captain, as expected, declined salary arbitration last night, which will allow the catcher to explore free agency.
With full knowledge of the verbal and written assault (and probably a few death threats from some of the female fans) I am subjecting myself to, it’s time to say goodbye to the Cap’n. I can’t stand the thought of another season watching Tek waving at high fastballs like a blindfolded schoolboy trying to hit a pinata.
Varitek was the anchor here for a long time, but age is catching up, and for catchers, it comes hard and fast. While never capturing the spotlight the way guys like Nomar, Manny, Pedro, Ortiz and Schilling have, Tek was always there, doing his job. His arrival was a result of one of the greatest Red Sox trades in history, and his introduction of glove-to-face with A-Rod is one of my favorite Red Sox moments.
But it’s time.
