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Picking Away At The Captain
November 24, 2008
11.24.
08, 12:34 PM
Picking Away At The Captain
Sox Offer Varitek 1-year Deal
What Happens Now?
By: Jared Carrabis
This article was originally posted here on SoxSpaceNews.com
Rob Bradford of WEEI. com is reporting that the Red Sox have made an initial offer to catcher, Jason Varitek, of just one year. The terms of the one-year deal have no been disclosed to the public nor the media but what we can confirm is that the salary in this offer does not mirror the annual salary of Jorge Posada’s $13.1 million per season.
Varitek’s agent, Scott Boras, entered the GM meetings in early November and announced to the baseball world that Jorge Posada’s 4-year, $52 million contract would serve as a benchmark for the contract that it would take to acquire (or retain) the services of Jason Varitek.
Of course the one-year offer to Varitek certainly isn’t the Red Sox last stitch effort to re-sign their captain of the past four seasons. Theo Epstein could withdraw this offer later on and present the Boston backstop with a more enticing offer where both sides get a healthy medium of what they want, or this one-year offer could be another example of what happened with Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon, Orlando Cabrera, Derek Lowe ect.
What we could be seeing here is the end of an era of another 2004 World Series hero, but with that loss comes a beautiful thing called the compensation pick. When a Red Sox player is lost to another team through free agency, Boston receives compensation through draft picks (which is why the Red Sox likely would have preferred to hang on to Manny Ramirez because they would have been awarded a solid draft pick.) I say that because the amount of compensation is determined by calculating a player’s rank. A player’s rank is measured by his statistical production. So to put that in English: the better numbers a player puts up, the higher his ranking will be which in turn leads to the greater compensation being awarded to the team that free agent just left to sign elsewhere.
We were all bitter when Pedro Martinez signed with the Mets, when Derek Lowe drifted out to the left coast along with Orlando Cabrera. What you may not know is that when Pedro Martinez signed with the Mets, the Red Sox were then given a draft pick that allowed them to select Clay Buchholz who went on to throw a no-hitter in 2007. With Derek Lowe donning his Dodger blue, the Red Sox were awarded two picks and with those two picks they selected Craig Hansen and Michael Bowden in the 2005 draft (same as Buchholz).
The biggest prize package to come out of two compensation draft picks would have to go to the free agent signing of Orlando Cabrera to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (then the Anaheim Angels). With the two picks received after the loss of Cabrera via free agency, the Red Sox selected two youngsters by the name of Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie. Just four years later, one has a World Series ring and the other was the starting shortstop for a team that came within a few runs of an American League pennant and maybe even beyond.
It is also worth noting that in the 2004 draft, the Red Sox lost their first round selection in the draft and were handed the 65th overall pick. What exactly did they do with that pick? They drafted a shortstop out of the Pac 10 that was a 3-time First-Team All-Pac 10 selection, while receiving the honors of being the 2003 Pac-10 co-Player of the Year and the 2003 National Defensive Player of the Year. In three seasons at Arizona State University, this shortstop hit .384 with 14 homers, sprayed 71 doubles and knocked in 146 RBI while scoring 212 runs. Not impressed enough? In his entire college career he posted a .466 on-base percentage, a .544 slugging percentage and a .972 fielding percentage with just 23 errors in 819 chances all while playing in all 185 regular season games on the Arizona State schedule during his three years of college baseball. Of course I’m talking about none other than the Rookie of the Year, World Series champion, Gold Glover, Silver Slugger, Most Valuable Player, Dustin Pedroia.
Not bad for the 65th pick eh?
So one of three things could happen from this point forward. As you now know, the Red Sox are very skilled when it comes to the draft. The first thing that could happen, the Sox brass withdraws their offer of one year and presents Varitek with something a little more serious. The next theory would be that the Sox stick with this offer, Varitek signs elsewhere and the Red Sox collect compensation draft picks. The last theory would be that the Sox stick with this offer and Varitek accepts it, but I don’t think any of us seeing that last theory being realistic whatsoever.
So now I will leave you with a quote that was said by general manager, Theo Epstein, at the 2004 press conference that announced the re-signing of catcher Jason Varitek while appointing him as Red Sox captain. “It's not every day you're lucky enough to sign a player who embodies everything you want your franchise to be. When you have that player, you don't let him get away.” I think now you all know where I stand on this matter for the 2009 season.
-Jared Carrabis
-Jared Carrabis
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