121 replies to this topic

[SoxFanSince57]

According to a baseball source, the deadline by which Varitek must accept or decline the Red Sox’ latest contract offer is set for tomorrow morning, leaving less than a day for the matter to play out. According to the same source, Varitek is very seriously considering the option of sitting out the 2009 season and/or retiring rather than accepting the contract offer made to him last week.

http://www.boston.co...as/extra_bases/

Edited by SoxFanSince57, 29 January 2009 - 11:06 PM.

[BigJimEd]

Michael Holley reported the same thing on the radio earlier.

[Carmine Hose]

According to the same source, Varitek is very seriously considering the option of sitting out the 2009 season and/or retiring rather than accepting the contract offer made to him last week.

I call bullshit of the highest order on this. No one who is a pro athlete at the age of 37 is going to "sit out" a year rather than play for $5 million. As for retiring, that makes no sense either because he may desperately need the money with what the soon-to-be-ex-wife is about to walk away. Unless of course he can get by on Heidi's NESN salary and autograph show money.

Edited by Carmine Hose, 29 January 2009 - 04:50 PM.

[bsj]

http://www.boston.co...as/extra_bases/

Well, for what its worth, I would have to think that it would be a retirement. A player of his age at his position coming off seasons of diminishing offensive production taking a year off is not going to make him a commodity of any note in 2010. More than likely, if he did that, he'd get something non-guaranteed for not all that much money if he came back in 2010 after sitting out a year.

[Foulkey Reese]

Independent of the Varitek negotiations, the Sox are expected to revisit talks with the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks about respective deals for the switch-hitting Jarrod Saltalamacchia and the lefthanded-hitting Miguel Montero.

This is what I like to hear.

[amh03]

I agree with Carmine - this story just doesn't sound believable to me. It doesn't sound like a maneuver that the Tek we've seen/known in the past would opt for. I think he's foolish, if he is considering sitting it out - does he really think he'll be more attractive to a team after a year of not playing than he is right now?

Strange development...

[jon abbey]

No one who is a pro athlete at the age of 37 is going to "sit out" a year rather than play for $5 million.

Latrell Sprewell turned down a 3 year, $21 million offer in 2004 at age 33 and hasn't played since his contract expired that year. That was of course an idiotic decision by him, but a somewhat analogous situation.

[86spike]

Boras' last gasp effort to gain an ounce of leverage:

Tek might just take his ball and go home...

puh
leeze

[scotian1]

Well if these sources are correct about Varitek rejecting this offer, thanks for the memories Vtek and let's move on. Although you would think he would be wiser to pay attention to the old adage that pride goes before the fall. If his pride is going to keep him from realizing his value isn't what he thinks it is I have little sympathy for him.

Edited by scotian1, 29 January 2009 - 05:19 PM.

[jp]

The Red Sox offer is well beyond fair at this point. It's not the fault of the Red Sox that Varitek/Boras mis-read the market. If Tek doesn't take the offer and give the Red Sox a big "thank you" along the way, then good luck with that. Time to move on.

Edited by jp, 29 January 2009 - 05:22 PM.

[Jack Sox]

The Red Sox offer is well beyond fair at this point. It's not the fault of the Red Sox that Varitek/Boras mis-read the market. If Tek doesn't take the offer and give the Red Sox a big "thank you" along the way, then good luck with that. Time to move on.

Pretty much. If this "threat" is indeed real, then good riddance to you, Mr. Varitek. I'm not sure who he's trying to endear himself to less, the Sox who offered what most here believed to be a VERY generous deal, or the fans and the public in general most of whom are going through one of the worst economic situations seen in a very long time. And there he is prepared to turn down, essentially a GUARANTEED 8 million? Yeah, not one shred of sympathy from this fan. He can just go away, if this is real.

[scotian1]

Schilling just called into EEI and said that it was his impression that negotiations have been going on re: the Sox offer and he felt that Varitek would accept either a 1yr deal or there was a possibilty of a 2 yr. $10 million offer.

Edited by scotian1, 29 January 2009 - 05:45 PM.

[mabrowndog]

I completely doubt the veracity of this "threat." But on the off chance there's a thread of truth, and it comes to pass, it just might go down as the most idiotic decision ever made by a US professional athlete.

Passing up a guaranteed $8 million at age 37, coming off an anemic season at the plate, with 3 kids and a divorce pending, and in the midst of the shittiest economy in 70 years? Even if his wife winds up getting half, nobody could possibly be that stupid.

My take is that this is all just bullshit coming from Boras or one of his lackies. We can all gleefully recall when he practically chased down JWH, Lucchino and Werner on the tarmac after threatening to send Daisuke back to Japan. The Sox called his bluff, headed to the airport, were just about to take off, and Boras caved rather than cost his client a guaranteed $52 million.

I suspect the same thing will happen tonight, but without the airplane.

Edited by mabrowndog, 29 January 2009 - 05:49 PM.

[IpswichSox]

I completely doubt the veracity of this "threat." But on the off chance there's a thread of truth, and it comes to pass, it just might go down as the most idiotic decision ever made by a US professional athlete.

I agree. Rejecting arbitration and the 99-percent likelihood of plus-or-minus $10 million guranteed for one year, and then rejecting a one- or two-year contract that could total up to $10 million? In this market? With nobody else interested in him? All of this in the span on six weeks? I don't buy that Jason Varitek is that stupid.

[Rasputin]

I completely doubt the veracity of this "threat." But on the off chance there's a thread of truth, and it comes to pass, it just might go down as the most idiotic decision ever made by a US professional athlete.

Passing up a guaranteed $8 million at age 37, coming off an anemic season at the plate, with 3 kids and a divorce pending, and in the midst of the shittiest economy in 70 years? Even if his wife winds up getting half, nobody could possibly be that stupid.

Jody Reed anyone?

[DJnVa]

Schilling just called into EEI and said that it was his impression that negotiations have been going on re: the Sox offer and he felt that Varitek would accept either a 1yr deal or there was a possibilty of a 2 yr. $10 million offer.

No offense, but I doubt he has any additional info from either of the parties, knowing his propensity for, you know, talking a lot.

[Yaz4Ever]

No offense, but I doubt he has any additional info from either of the parties, knowing his propensity for, you know, talking a lot.

DJ, I disagree. Many people here consider him a blowhard, and there have been times when I wish he hadn't said certain things myself, but Schilling definitely has a better prospective with issues such as this than anyone else on this board (save for our FO members). I don't doubt for a second that he's spoken with 'Tek and have no doubt he'd love to see 'Tek back with us this year.

I'm with those who feel that Varitek couldn't possibly be so stupid as to turn down an offer that, imho, was far too generous to begin with. If not for some of the aforementioned instances of stupidity, I'd put the veracity of this claim at 0%, but because we know that others have made inexplicably stupid decisions I'll generously give this "threat" a 1% chance of being real.

If such a "threat" has been made, I'd love to see Theo respond with, "Oh, okay. I understand. We'll just pull our offer now, then, and not waste any more time for either of us. Good luck to Jason, he was a class act and we'll always appreciate what he did for us." I think that if that happened, Boras would be fired within milliseconds and 'Tek would be signed to the aforementioned deal (or possibly something even a little less).

For someone often referred to as one of the smartest in the game, there's no way Varitek is stupid enough to issue such a threat, not know about the draft picks, or countless other rumors we've heard. This will be done late tonight or early tomorrow - one way or the other - and then we can all move along. Hopefully, whatever happens with the captain, Theo still has the Rangers on speed dial and we'll see Teagarden or Salty on our roster by the beginning of next week.

[SoxFanSince57]

IF these reports are accurate, it is not about "stupidity" it is all about PRIDE.

[Lidle Airways]

Why are the two mutually exclusive?

As for the dumbest decision ever, Nomar turning down 4 yr/60 mil was dumber and cost the player much more money.

Don't paint this as over yet. In any discussion about money that has a deadline, why would you agree to terms before the deadline? Might as well take the talks to the end and see if you can eke anything else out.

[mabrowndog]

As for the dumbest decision ever, Nomar turning down 4 yr/60 mil was dumber and cost the player much more money.

Sorry. Tek's would be dumber by multiple orders of magnitude because:

* It would be the second winning lottery ticket he's ripped up and thrown in the trash in the past two months.
* It would show he hadn't learned his lesson after the arbitration debacle -- especially in light of the national economic mess that's been making headlines ever since.

[Beomoose]

I don't buy that he'd "sit out the 2009 season" for one second. If he's not retiring then he's crossing his fingers, toes, and balls that somebody drops him an offer after the Draft. But before he gets to that point he and/or Boras is hoping that the Sox will fail to land another C and thus come back one more time before ST.

[Larry Gardner]

As for the dumbest decision ever, Nomar turning down 4 yr/60 mil was dumber and cost the player much more money.

Juan Gonzalez, $140 million, 9 years in Detroit??

[CaptainLaddie]

Juan Gonzalez, $140 million, 9 years in Detroit??

Monumentally stupid and good for the Tigers at the same time.
I still can't believe he turned down $140m. He ended up getting a one-year deal with the Indians. Jesus, he'd just now be finishing his contract. Holy jeez.

[sodenj5]

If true, this works out well for the Sox. They made a very legitimate offer to retain the Captain after he claimed to not know about the whole draft pick compensation correlating with his rejecting arbitration. If he declines it, the Sox can now freely pursue the young catcher of their choice, and Varitek and Boras both look like the anti-Christ for shunning a gift wrapped 10 million dollars over the next 2 years.

I personally feel that this is all BS and an absolute last ditch effort by Boras to try and get Tek a few more bucks. Shame to see a guy who is supposed to stand for the integrity of all things that are right in baseball go down like this.

[Steve Dillard]

My take is that this is all just bullshit coming from Boras or one of his lackies.

That would be a natural guess, but look at the two reports. Michael Holley, who happened to just write a book with Terry Francona, and otherwise has almost no baseball sources. And the Boston Globe, part owner of the Sox. This makes me think that this is not posturing, but rather just Boston's best current thinking/guess about what Tek might do.

[Ed Hillel]

Arguably, the best thing going for Tek in these negotiations was the fan support from Sawks fans who love Da' Captain!* Obviously, the pinkest of hats could care less about Theo's offer, but I think the more logical fans who still had Tek in their HAHT and felt a sense of loyalty to the guy are going to have to concede that Tek is being silly/in denial here. So, the way I see it, rejecting an offer like this and threatening to sit out or retire or whatever, is diminishing his leverage. Tek is pushing people off his bandwagon.

Plus, it's just nuts. The guy, objectively, isn't worth this amount in a good market. I have no idea what Boras and Tek are thinking here, assuming this is true.**

* Tek also seems to have the players on his side, and one can make an argument that this is his biggest asset in these negotiations.

** I still think, come tomorrow at midnight, Tek will be a Sox.

Edited by Ed Hillel, 29 January 2009 - 07:52 PM.

[someoneanywhere]

With all respect to you guys of an opposing view: yes, he will reject a one-year deal if that is what is on the table. I don't want to belabor the issue or make this into a prediction thread, but much of what you need to know about where Varitek is coming from has already been published -- in the SI excerpt of Torre's book. He views a one-year deal not as a reflection of market conditions, but as a statement of his value to this club. Plug Tek's name into some of Torre's sentiments and you have it, exactly.

It's not about him sitting out a year. It's about him sitting out till June. That's not quite the same thing, is it?

[TheYaz67]

QUOTE(Lidle Airways @ Jan 29 2009, 06:42 PM) *
As for the dumbest decision ever, Nomar turning down 4 yr/60 mil was dumber and cost the player much more money.

Sorry. Tek's would be dumber by multiple orders of magnitude because:

* It would be the second winning lottery ticket he's ripped up and thrown in the trash in the past two months.
* It would show he hadn't learned his lesson after the arbitration debacle -- especially in light of the national economic mess that's been making headlines ever since.

Actually, its a pretty awesome analogy in a way, in that Tek was basically looking at $10M guaranteed, and is now staring at $5M - 50%.

Nomar turned down 4/60 from the Sox an proceeded in the next 4 injury ravaged years to pull down a bit better than $32M - just north of 50%.

Obviously the scale isn't the same in both cases.

I also can't believe this story - I still think the deal gets done b/c he knows he'll get the majority of catching time next year unless he truly craters with the stick....

[drleather2001]

Actually, its a pretty awesome analogy in a way, in that Tek was basically looking at $10M guaranteed, and is now staring at $5M - 50%.

Nomar turned down 4/60 from the Sox an proceeded in the next 4 injury ravaged years to pull down a bit better than $32M - just north of 50%.

Obviously the scale isn't the same in both cases.

I also can't believe this story - I still think the deal gets done b/c he knows he'll get the majority of catching time next year unless he truly craters with the stick....

yea, but Nomar's expectations came when A) his peers/comps were getting huge deals and B) salaries were generally going through the roof. Sure, he misread things, and it turned out to be a huge mistake in hindsight, but there's a difference between turning down a contract that was market value (or slightly above) at the time with the reasonable goal of pulling down more money later, and just throwing away the only offer you're going to get, and one that happens to be well over market value (what market value?) to boot.

Nomar had leverage. He blew it, but at the time he did have it. Tek has almost no leverage in this situation.

[24JoshuaPoint]

In terms of Varitek and the Red Sox this possible contract only makes a difference in terms of 2009. The odds of Varitek coming back to somewhat of a respectable hitting level is small. The odds of a bringing in an available younger catcher who can either equal or exceed V's projections is about the same. Personally i think it comes down to the 'intangibles' which is a bit less harder to project. Outside of money i consider it a push with a 'who knows what could happen'. I don't know what next years pool of available catchers might be but i don't mind cutting the cord. He MY PARENTS ARE ILLITERATE INNER-CITY HARPS WHO RAISED ME TO BE PROACTIVELY STUPID just signed at i had you at arbitration.

[jkempa]

If this is true and Varitek rejects the offer, this is mind-blowingly stupid.

When was the last time that someone of his age, much less a catcher, even received a multi-year contract? Has there even been one this off-season?

[Jack Sox]

I don't buy that he'd "sit out the 2009 season" for one second. If he's not retiring then he's crossing his fingers, toes, and balls that somebody drops him an offer after the Draft. But before he gets to that point he and/or Boras is hoping that the Sox will fail to land another C and thus come back one more time before ST.

I'm pretty sure this is the only shred of leverage Boras can create at this point and you know what? Following the draft, I can see him duping some team into giving Tek 7-8 million, or at least he has sold that idea that to Jason. If this really is their strategy, I hope the Sox come out make a calculated statement to the media fully thanking Jason Varitek and everything he brought to Boston for the duration of his career, but that "we are not going to be a factor".

[D Jack's Dome]

Count me in the minority here. I don't think he'll be in a Red Sox uniform in 2009.

[paulftodd]

With all respect to you guys of an opposing view: yes, he will reject a one-year deal if that is what is on the table. I don't want to belabor the issue or make this into a prediction thread, but much of what you need to know about where Varitek is coming from has already been published -- in the SI excerpt of Torre's book. He views a one-year deal not as a reflection of market conditions, but as a statement of his value to this club. Plug Tek's name into some of Torre's sentiments and you have it, exactly.

It's not about him sitting out a year. It's about him sitting out till June. That's not quite the same thing, is it?

You nailed it. People simply can not understand that someone who has made 57 million in his career might have sufficient financial independence to say up yours to the boss when he makes a crappy offer, at least in your mind, and simply walk away. Tek can take a chance that some team gets desparate in June due to injury or performance issues, and sign a FA catcher who could improve their teams pitching and can hit well against LHP w/o having to give up a draft pick.

Whats going to make or break many teams next year is if they can still fill seats in August and September, and you do that by staying in the race. If someone needs to pay Tek 5 million for 1/2 a season of work to stay in the race, they will do so. After mid-June, they won't have to give up a draft pick, just offer cash for one season. If Tek does well, and the economy and market improve, then Tek might see a better offer in 2010.

Imagine if whomever the Red Sox designates to replace Tek gets off to a slow start, and the 40+ million dollar pitching staff does not perform as expected, and the MFY and TBR start pulling away. Will Tek look like a bargain at 8 million then, when fans start leaving the park early, and later those with tickets stop even showing up at the park in August, not to mention NESN ratings going down the tube?

Yeah, if I am Tek, and have to give the wife half my salary, and Uncle Sam 28%, leaving me with only 2 million, and I have 20-30 million in the bank after the divorce, walking away from this offer is not hard. Sometimes people work or play for respect and self satisfaction, and not so much for money (money is simply part of the respect). If you think you are not being compensated fairly, and are not being respected, and can afford to do so, walking aways easy.

Retirement was always on the table, so if the Red Sox FO needs Tek for 1 more year, "overpaying" for him was the solution to their problem. Their problem is not the markets problem, plus they do not have to offer a top draft pick. The market should not dicatate what Teks value is for the Red Sox in 2009. Unlike most teams, the Red Sox are unlikely to take a significant revenue hit in 2009, unless the team completely falls flat on their face.

I still think Tek comes back, there is posturing on both sides, so the Red Sox might up the offer, perhaps 7 million for 1 season. Having to make a trade w/o Tek signed is going to cost the Red Sox in any trade negotiations, as the Red Sox will appear to be in a weak bargaining position. That must be considered as well.

In the end, if Tek does leave, I am confident the team will do what it needs to do to stay competitive, even if it costs them more to do so.

[86spike]

This thread title is misleading... the source says he's considering rejecting it, not that he's going to.

[scotian1]

Schilling just called into EEI and said that it was his impression that negotiations have been going on re: the Sox offer and he felt that Varitek would accept either a 1yr deal or there was a possibilty of a 2 yr. $10 million offer.

No offense, but I doubt he has any additional info from either of the parties, knowing his propensity for, you know, talking a lot.

Here is a link to what Schilling had to say.
http://audio.weei.co....htm?pageid=968

[D Jack's Dome]

You nailed it. People simply can not understand that someone who has made 57 million in his career might have sufficient financial independence to say up yours to the boss when he makes a crappy offer, at least in your mind, and simply walk away. Tek can take a chance that some team gets desparate in June due to injury or performance issues, and sign a FA catcher who could improve their teams pitching and can hit well against LHP w/o having to give up a draft pick.

Whats going to make or break many teams next year is if they can still fill seats in August and September, and you do that by staying in the race. If someone needs to pay Tek 5 million for 1/2 a season of work to stay in the race, they will do so. After mid-June, they won't have to give up a draft pick, just offer cash for one season. If Tek does well, and the economy and market improve, then Tek might see a better offer in 2010.

Imagine if whomever the Red Sox designates to replace Tek gets off to a slow start, and the 40+ million dollar pitching staff does not perform as expected, and the MFY and TBR start pulling away. Will Tek look like a bargain at 8 million then, when fans start leaving the park early, and later those with tickets stop even showing up at the park in August, not to mention NESN ratings going down the tube?

Yeah, if I am Tek, and have to give the wife half my salary, and Uncle Sam 28%, leaving me with only 2 million, and I have 20-30 million in the bank after the divorce, walking away from this offer is not hard. Sometimes people work or play for respect and self satisfaction, and not so much for money (money is simply part of the respect). If you think you are not being compensated fairly, and are not being respected, and can afford to do so, walking aways easy.

Retirement was always on the table, so if the Red Sox FO needs Tek for 1 more year, "overpaying" for him was the solution to their problem. Their problem is not the markets problem, plus they do not have to offer a top draft pick. The market should not dicatate what Teks value is for the Red Sox in 2009. Unlike most teams, the Red Sox are unlikely to take a significant revenue hit in 2009, unless the team completely falls flat on their face.

I still think Tek comes back, there is posturing on both sides, so the Red Sox might up the offer, perhaps 7 million for 1 season. Having to make a trade w/o Tek signed is going to cost the Red Sox in any trade negotiations, as the Red Sox will appear to be in a weak bargaining position. That must be considered as well.

In the end, if Tek does leave, I am confident the team will do what it needs to do to stay competitive, even if it costs them more to do so.

Agree with everything you had to say here Paul except the part I bolded. I think the Sox have put their final offer(s) on the table for the captain. He can come here for 1 year or two with the option. If he doesn't like it (which it seems he doesnt) then he doesn't have to sign.

[pedro1918]

I am reminded of Sandy Alderson when the umpires resigned.

Paraphrasing: This is either a threat to be ignored or an offer to be accepted.

[paulftodd]

Agree with everything you had to say here Paul except the part I bolded. I think the Sox have put their final offer(s) on the table for the captain. He can come here for 1 year or two with the option. If he doesn't like it (which it seems he doesnt) then he doesn't have to sign.

Deals usually involve compromise when there is good faith on both sides. Tek probably thinks he should get 10 million, Red Sox offer 5 million, the middle is about 7 million. As it is, the Red Sox guaranteed 8 million with a player option, now it comes down to 7 million, but for 1 year and no option. They actually commit to less. I do not think the Red Sox want an unhappy or negative Tek, they would be better off w/o him in that case. But if Tek gets close to what he would have gotten in arbitration, and the Red Sox get off by committing to less than their first offer, both sides have enough face to go with the deal and if not be happy with it, at least be positive about it.

[jacklamabe65]

Jody Reed says hi, Tek.

I can't believe he'll walk away from this. This will be a stain on Boras's reputation - always a good thing in my mind.

Edited by jacklamabe65, 29 January 2009 - 09:03 PM.

[Trautwein's Degree]

You know what, who cares what Tek does or doesn't do?

The front office should be ready to give him the Mirabelli treatment if there is a appears that anyone in house, on the free agent market, or available through trade will outproduce Varitek in 2009.

Cora's 2008 VORP was 4.6. Tek's 2008 VORP was -2. And Cora's departure didn't take up 2 gigs worth of memory on the server.

Edited by Trautwein's Degree, 29 January 2009 - 09:09 PM.

[86spike]

Is paulftodd's real name Jason Varitek?



Why would the Sox up their offer when no other offer better than theirs exists?

Edited by 86spike, 29 January 2009 - 09:11 PM.

[BigJimEd]

If true, this works out well for the Sox. They made a very legitimate offer to retain the Captain after he claimed to not know about the whole draft pick compensation correlating with his rejecting arbitration. If he declines it, the Sox can now freely pursue the young catcher of their choice, and Varitek and Boras both look like the anti-Christ for shunning a gift wrapped 10 million dollars over the next 2 years.

I personally feel that this is all BS and an absolute last ditch effort by Boras to try and get Tek a few more bucks. Shame to see a guy who is supposed to stand for the integrity of all things that are right in baseball go down like this.

It only works out well for the Sox if you believe they are better off without Tek. Since I don't really think this front office is swayed by pr at all, I assume they think the Sox are better team with Tek on it and hope he accepts it.

I don't think going after a young catcher has any bearing on the Tek negotiations.

[jose melendez]

So the question, if he has rejected it, is do the Sox pull it off the table now?

Isn't the best case scenario for the Sox that he signs with someone else and we get a draft pick? Shouldn't that be our objective? This allows them to do it without looking like total dicks.

I suspect part of the problem is that Boras is doing everything in his power to keep him from taking it. If Tek gets lower than $10 mil this year, Boras comes across as a guy who does great ffor his elite clients, but can't get the job done for guys on the downside, that's a serious part of his market he could end up losing.

Here's a thought? What's Boras's %? If he shitcans Boras, how much does he have to get to equl the $10 mil he turned down minus agent fee.

[D Jack's Dome]

Deals usually involve compromise when there is good faith on both sides. Tek probably thinks he should get 10 million, Red Sox offer 5 million, the middle is about 7 million. As it is, the Red Sox guaranteed 8 million with a player option, now it comes down to 7 million, but for 1 year and no option. They actually commit to less. I do not think the Red Sox want an unhappy or negative Tek, they would be better off w/o him in that case. But if Tek gets close to what he would have gotten in arbitration, and the Red Sox get off by committing to less than their first offer, both sides have enough face to go with the deal and if not be happy with it, at least be positive about it.

Well, it's already been said here a few times. Pride. The Sox could see this as, essentially, a 5 million dollar deal. Tek gets his 5 million this year, the Sox find someone to start over him before next year, and Tek walks away because he thinks he still deserves to start. That means the Sox don't option their 5 mil, and neither will 'Tek, and the Sox are on the hook for 5 million alone. The other thread discusses how 'Tek will most likely not accept sitting on the bench in his second year of the contract, and I think, judging by his actions so far this offseason, those thoughts might end up being correct.

Also, the Sox have already tried to compromise with 'Tek...twice. They offered him arb, and he declined. He told them he wanted a multi year deal, and they obliged with the option year. Now he wants more cash? I said more then a week ago I see him signing for one year for about 6.5, but I have a hard time seeing the Sox bend over any further for Tek then they already have. It isn't about market value or price, it's about a breaking point for both sides. At what point does a team just say "fuck it, I'm not going to give you anymore"? I think this deadline is it.

Edited by D Jack's Dome, 29 January 2009 - 09:36 PM.

[Trautwein's Degree]

So the question, if he has rejected it, is do the Sox pull it off the table now?

I think so. Whether it has been Arod, Matsuzaka, Teixeira, or any other soap opera (hmm...all of those guys have one thing in common) - the front office has shown that they're willing to draw a line in the sand and not cross it. Their MO is to set a value and bend very little. With Varitek, I can't even imagine they really care what he does because the likelyhood of him being productive in 2009 is about the same as Chrysler being the world's biggest automaker in 2009.

[dcmissle]

So the question, if he has rejected it, is do the Sox pull it off the table now?

Isn't the best case scenario for the Sox that he signs with someone else and we get a draft pick? Shouldn't that be our objective? This allows them to do it without looking like total dicks.

I suspect part of the problem is that Boras is doing everything in his power to keep him from taking it. If Tek gets lower than $10 mil this year, Boras comes across as a guy who does great ffor his elite clients, but can't get the job done for guys on the downside, that's a serious part of his market he could end up losing.

Here's a thought? What's Boras's %? If he shitcans Boras, how much does he have to get to equl the $10 mil he turned down minus agent fee.

If you look at the Mazz blog entry that kicks off this thread, you may conclude that the 'Tek/Boras partnership was been star crossed from the outset. Jason lost at least one year with a major league club as a result of aggressive negotiating, two if you count the year he returned to Ga. Tech. From Boras' standpoint, perhaps, 'Tek unwisely limited his options 4 years ago. This offseason has been a catastrophe for them both.

It would be odd to jettison Boras at this point. They've both had a bad year, misjudging the market horribly (unless you're a Boras groupie who grabs credit for the in-his-prime Tex signing and blames the bad outcomes on the clients, in this instance 'Tek and Manny).

Edited by dcmissle, 29 January 2009 - 09:42 PM.

[Average Reds]

So the question, if he has rejected it, is do the Sox pull it off the table now?

Isn't the best case scenario for the Sox that he signs with someone else and we get a draft pick? Shouldn't that be our objective? This allows them to do it without looking like total dicks.

I suspect part of the problem is that Boras is doing everything in his power to keep him from taking it. If Tek gets lower than $10 mil this year, Boras comes across as a guy who does great ffor his elite clients, but can't get the job done for guys on the downside, that's a serious part of his market he could end up losing.

Here's a thought? What's Boras's %? If he shitcans Boras, how much does he have to get to equl the $10 mil he turned down minus agent fee.

Boras makes 5% on player contracts, so it's hard for me to believe that he'd advise Tek to reject the Sox offer because he'd be losing out on a huge fee.

Honestly, I'm as perplexed as the next guy as to why Boras and Varitek haven't jumped at the offer. I tend to think they'll take it in the end, but it's not a huge deal to me if they don't. In that context, the Sandy Alderson quote cited earlier is probably the proper response to this kind of bluff.

[geoduck no quahog]

A lot of over-reaction about an unknown "source" from some dipshit writers. Why would anyone choose to believe it? The most plausible explanation has already been stated: Boras is using his last gram of leverage in the only way he can,knowing full well that the Red Sox will not up their offer and that it will be withdrawn tomorrow.

Still, what does Boras have to lose? Nothing. With the Sox not blinking, Varitek will be signed by the front office deadline.

Just keep considering the source.

PS. Is there a Manny rumor thread somewhere?

Edited by geoduck no quahog, 29 January 2009 - 09:59 PM.

[dcmissle]

A lot of over-reaction about an unknown "source" from some dipshit writers. Why would anyone choose to believe it? The most plausible explanation has already been stated: Boras is using his last gram of leverage in the only way he can,knowing full well that the Red Sox will not up their offer and that it will be withdrawn tomorrow.

Still, what does Boras have to lose? Nothing. With the Sox not blinking, Varitek will be signed by the front office deadline.

Just keep considering the source.

PS. Is there a Manny rumor thread somewhere?

You put Michael Holley in this category? Because he reported the substance of this about 12 hours ago, stating several times that the 'Tek camp is not his source (which does not preclude, of course, Boras being the ultimate source). Holley strikes me as pretty sophisticated, wary of being a tool, and for all we know the club may be laying the groundwork for what's coming.

However this ends, and for 'Tek it will end relatively soon if not tomorrow, I'd like something else to end -- an almost unbroken string of ugly departures by RS players of stature and consequence that dates back to the 70s. No one in particular is to blame, as this has spanned 2 ownership groups and maybe 5 different management teams.