Jason Varitek: Final Year in Boston

Today is the day of the All-Star Game, and the Red Sox are represented quite well. There is, however, one person undeserving to be there, and that’s our captain, Jason Varitek.

His defense, pitch-calling and leadership may be All-Star caliber, but his offensive game is most certainly not. ‘Tek is hitting .218/.299/.354 on the season which isn’t eye-opening for a 36-year old catcher but becomes almost unbearable when that catcher makes $10 million and is having the worst season of his career.

Can Varitek turn it around? Maybe. He had a .809 OPS in April and followed that up with .913 in May. He’s fallen apart since, with .380 (!?) in June and .476 so far in July. He’s barely passable (.709 OPS) at home but on the road he falls apart with a .606 OPS.

Whether or not you’re a fan of OPS or not, the message is the same. He’s fallen, big time. Is it a slump? Maybe. Is it the beginning of the end, a fate that befalls almost all catchers at this age? Probably.

So where do we go from now? Of course, there’s a whole second half to play. But Varitek’s going to end up as a free agent after the year, and we know a few concrete things:

• Varitek is unfailingly loyal to Scott Boras
• Scott Boras will get the best contract he can regardless of team
• Varitek will enter his age-37 year
• Boras will undoubtedly be using Jorge Posada’s contract as a benchmark (how’s that working out for them? Oh wait, a couple months into the contract and he’s not even catching anymore)
• Varitek is not the 2003-2005 Varitek, not even the 2006-2007 Varitek
• There aren’t any bona fide candidates to take over through the minor leagues.

Before I launch into what we should do, let’s all face it. Let’s all look in the mirror and repeat those words until you get it. “Jeff Clement is not being traded to the Red Sox.” We want it to happen. It’s not going to. Go ahead. Repeat it as many times as you need then come back and finish this article.

So, what to do about Varitek?

To be sure, he’ll be taking a pay cut. But he’ll (or more accurately, Scott Boras) want more years. And he’ll take the highest offer. And for all the money the Red Sox throw around, they have two very specific things going for them. One: they have brains. Two: they’re not afraid to let fan favorites go if it’s time.

Anyone still wish we had Nomar? Pedro? Damon? Cult figures when they were in Boston, but not particularly missed. Is Jason Varitek going to be part of the group? You bet. I’m laying odds on this being Varitek’s final year in Boston.

Varitek’s skidding offensive capabilities, his age and Scott Boras all make me very pessimistic on the chances that Varitek and the Sox are able to come to terms on a reasonable deal for his return.

Do I want Varitek to stay? You bet. Do I think he will? That’s a completely different story entirely, especially with the majors being starved for catching as it is. With someone like Varitek’s name on the market, some team will give him more money than the Sox.

The Mets would undoubtedly love Varitek. The Yankees can’t be counted out either, if they convince Posada to shift to first base. He could replace Pudge Rodriguez in Detroit, Gregg Zaun in Toronto, or the Astros could throw money at him.

Here’s the thing: should we even make an attempt?

I’m not talking about an attempt in the broad sense of the word. Of course, an attempt will be made publicly for PR reasons no matter what. But, there’s a difference between an attempt and an offer, and the latter is what most organizations characterize as an attempt to the media when, in reality, they don’t want the player back for the price he will demand.

With Brian Schneider, Ivan Rodriguez and others on the market, there may be no need for the Sox to make an attempt.

Schneider, 31, is hitting .254/.345/.307 as a starter for the New York Mets and is certainly not known for any power, but maintains a respectable .253/.325/.372 career line, numbers besting Tek’s current production.

Which would you be more comfortable doing — signing Varitek for four years at $8 million per, or Schneider to one year at $3 million with a club option that vests if he attains 500 plate appearances? Chalk me down for the second.

Don’t like Schneider? Other low-cost alternatives would be Rod Barajas, Michael Barrett, Johnny Estrada, Jason Kendall, Jason LaRue, I-Rod. Or grab Bengie Molina away from the San Francisco Giants for two years.

Why would we do this?

To save money if we get similar production. Varitek’s defense can be matched by other catchers such as Schneider. His leadership can’t exactly be matched, but I’m not insinuating that ‘Tek should get a Brian Schneider-type contract.

Not at all, he certainly deserves a fair amount of money. But four years, $32 million would be pretty pricey, I think. That’s assuming Boras even thinks that Varitek should take a pay cut. To be sure, the Red Sox owe Varitek a lot, but at some point, you have to cut the cord.

If we sign a catcher for one year, after 2009 we could go after free agent Victor Martinez, if he even hits the market. We could trade for Jeff Clement (okay, so maybe I still don’t get that we won’t get Clement).

Maybe Sox prospects Dusty Brown, Mark Wagner or George Kottaras would be equipped to be the starter next year. Lots of maybes here and there’s no answer right now.

I don’t want Jason Varitek to leave after the year. Unfortunately, it may be the prudent thing to do.