Well it seems the Boston captain got what he wanted, a multi-year deal from the red sox and I can't help but wonder why. Here is the contract peramters as according to Tony Masseroti
Varitek will earn $5MM in 2009, with the club holding a $5MM option for 2010. If the Red Sox do not pick up that option, Varitek has the choice of remaining with the club on a $3MM deal. In '10, he can earn another $2MM in incentives based on playing time, beginning at 80 games started. Thus, the potential total value of the deal increases from $8-$10MM to $10-$12MM. The incentives apply to both the team and player options for 2010.
Now its not an incredibly lucractive deal, and in fact Varitek would have made more money through arbitration, but Jason wanted a multi year contract and you can appreciate where he's coming from. Using Posada's contract as a basis of comparison he's been just as valuable to his club for years wiht the bat and specifically behind the plate, handling the staff very well with still a decent arm, but the problem is its not really a fair comparison. In reality, Posada was coming off a career year of .338/.428/.543 at the tender age of 35 and landed a four year deal Varitek's year wasn't even remotely close with a line .220/.313/.359 at 36, not exactly a banner year for the capitain.
But this is really besides the point, my issue with the deal is the red sox really needed to improve themselves at catcher and they haven't. As we saw in the ALCS this year the red sox lineup with a balky Ortiz and no Manny (Bay was excellent but he's no Manny) is not nearly as potent as it has been in years past and as a result they fell short. Sure, Varitek's staffs have been superb in his time there and I have heard that the staff ERA is run lower when he's calling the game, but how accurate is that stat? More importantly, does his defensive value really outweigh his negative impact with the bat? I think not.
I have always applauded the current red sox managment for not giving into sentimentality or nostalgia as the yankees have done in recent years, not allowing past success of a player to mess with putting together the best team they possibly can, but in this case I feel as though they have. As we saw with Posada giving long term deals to old catchers is not a prudent investment, Posada spent most of the year on the DL with a dead arm and in truth it remains to be seen whether he will ever be able to handle the rigors of a full season behind the plate.
With Varitek it is apparent he already is in a steep decline, his bat speed has diminished, his arm was not what it has been in years past and he is becoming virtually an automatic out in this past year. Sure its possibly Jason can come out and have a great year and return to being an important part of their lineup, but at 36 years old I don't see it. While the red sox have vastly improved their rotational depth with some smart cheap signings they really have done very little to improve their lineup while the rays and yankees have made some siginificant upgrades. I believe this neglect will ultimately hurt them this season and make it difficult for them to score runs at times. Of course he could rebound, Ortiz could return to form and some other guys like Ellsbury and Lowrie could continue to progress and become more potent hitters, but as it stands right now Theo will regret not going out and improving themselves at this very crucial position.
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