 Jason Varitek in 2005 – Photo taken by me |
I keep starting entries about Jason Varitek and every time I do, I end up deleting them. I try to focus on the positive and not the negative, but I’m having a difficult time finding anything positive to write in the way of Tek.
I want Tek to come back to the Red Sox. I know he’s regressing (okay, I believe he’s regressing. I guess none of us really KNOW except Tek, right?) but I also believe that he’s the best option out there for the Red Sox right now. The thing is, I don’t think he’s worth anything over $6 million a year. He turned down what could have been double digits when he refused arbitration. It seems that he really believed he was worth more money and that other teams would think so as well. I naively believed that Tek would have a better sense of his own worth. If the stories out there are true, Tek is still looking for somewhere between 10 to 12 million dollars from the Red Sox. This, while at the same time leaking the information that 1) Tek didn’t realize draft picks would be involved if he refused arbitration and 2) He was afraid that accepting arbitration wouldn’t guarantee that the Red Sox didn’t trade him.
Tek is, arguably, one of the most respected players in Boston. All you read about is how all the players trust him (especially the pitchers) and what a great teammate he is. None of which I doubt. They gave him that “C” for a reason. But all of this fluff coming out, at least for me, is tarnishing his stellar reputation. I don’t believe for a minute that he didn’t know the consequences of refusing arbitration. I also don’t believe he refused it because he was afraid of being traded after “settling”. It seems to me that he and Boras majorly misread the market and are trying to use ignorance and fear as a defense. And then after doing that, after using Heidi Watney and Jon Heyman as mouthpieces to spread the word, the story comes out today that he’s still looking for $10-$12 million? I’d love to live in the world that Tek does just for one day.
Could this “report” sound MORE scripted?
Friday, February 6th is Truck Day, so I guess it’s safe to say the Red Sox would like things settled up before then, right? Some time within the next two weeks the wondering, the excuses, all of it will be over and we’ll either have the Captain back with the team or we’ll have to start hoping Bard/Kottaras/Brown will instill confidence in the pitching staff. I have my money on number 33 being back where he belongs. I only hope I don’t lose any more respect for him before that happens.