Tek & the Sox

My Boston Red Sox have only had three team captains since 1923...it's a very high honor on this team to be given the title of captain.

On December 24, 2004, Jason Varitek (nicknamed "Tek") was named that third captain in Red Sox history and given a generous 4-year deal at $10 million per year, with the help of his longtime and notorious agent Scott Boras.

After this past 2008 season was over, Tek became a free agent in baseball. However, in baseball, there is this process called salary arbitration, and the management decided to offer Tek arbitration. This meant (since players rarely lose arbitration cases, and often get a raise) Tek would have been guaranteed $11 million for the next baseball season.

Instead of taking the free $11 million, with the advice of Boras, Tek turned down the offer and became a complete free agent. Again, however, there is a catch. By offering him arbitration, the Sox were assured they would get the first-round pick in next year's draft from any team that signed Tek to a deal.

Recently, draft picks have become highly valued in baseball as a way for teams to stockpile young, cheap talent...and teams are now loathed to voluntarily give up this first round pick for signing a 36 year old catcher who is well past his prime, and on the back 4 (not even 9) of his career.

It now appears Tek has screwed himself by following Boras' advice, as no team was willing to sign him once they had to give up that first-round pick. With no where else to go, the principal Owner and CEO of the Sox, John Henry, is flying down to meet one-on-one with Tek without Boras.

I hope the Sox make Tek eat a deal for $5 million for one year, or a two-year deal for somewhere around $12 million.

Tek played the free agent game, and he lost. If he had won and there had been several teams bidding for his services, you can be DAMN sure he'd make the Sox pay up full price (they did in that 2004 deal when virtually no one was chasing Tek).

When you lose, you have to eat some money. If my Sox bend over and give him $10 million for a year...I will be disgusted.