It has just been reported that Jason Varitek has agreed to a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox worth $5 million. That seems to be a lot less than he was initially asking for, but I suppose that's how it goes when you hit .220 in a contract year.
I wonder how this will affect possible trade discussions between the Rangers and Red Sox. On one hand, it makes a trade less likely and decreases our chances of receiving premium pitching like Clay Buchholz in return. On the other hand, Jason Varitek would make a great mentor to a young, fresh catcher like Saltalamacchia who would welcome the opportunity. In that regard, it may not threaten the Rangers' at all. With the pitching depth the Sox just added in John Smoltz and Brad Penny, Buchholz is much more expendable . . .
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I see the Rangers hanging on to Salty for a few reasons.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Sox side, The Sox don't want to part with Buchholz, the kid threw a no hitter for them. Hes got great stuff hes just inconsistent. The pitchers they picked up are all on one year deals, so they'll keep in the Minors, season him up a little bit and then re-evaluate next year. Wakefield can't pitch forever and Masterson is a better reliever than starter so my guess is that spot will be there for him.
From the Rangers Side: They aren't in a position where they have to make a move. 2nd) Salty just destroyed the winter league, he was unreal. He still has problems I think with left handed pitching?, but the talent is clearly there and he might be starting to figure it out. 3) You can work on his defense, and hes still younger than both Teagarden (who I'm not completely sold on offensively) and Max Ramirez. Ramirez is in the minors for the year and we moved Laird, so we also need him not just for depth we can show him off a little bit more and see what we can get for him later on. No sense in making a move just to make a move.
At this point, I agree with you. I don't think the Red Sox are nearly as desperate now as they would have been had they not signed Varitek, so the prices on their young pitchers is going to go way up.
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