That photo never gets old, does it?

Let me get right to the point on this. 

The Red Sox should resign Jason Varitek.  For two years.  For whatever dollars he wants for those two years (within reason).

Forget all the stuff about how he’s he can’t hit like he used to (he can’t) and how he strikes out in key situations (he does).  What Varitek contributes to the Boston Red Sox is not completely measured with how he fills out the box score.

He is, after all, the captain.  The guy who sets the tone of professionalism in the Red Sox dugout.  He is also, in my opining, the associate pitching coach for the Sox.  There no better catcher in major league baseball at handling pitchers than Jason Varitek.  He may not drive in a hundred runs a year, but how many runs does he keep off the scoreboard because he knows how to call a game and handle the staff?  I’d bet it’s more than 100.

OK, let’s say that you’re one of those folks that thinks Tek should go.  Who do the Sox put in at catcher? Kevin Cash?  Are you sure thats an improvement?  Get a catcher in a trade or sign a free agent, you say.  OK.  If the sox end with Bengie Molina, I don’t want to hear your crying about how someone with a cane can run the bases faster than Bengie. 

Now, there’s no doubt that resigning Varitek still has issues.  The simple fact is the Sox need to be resigning Varitek for a couple years in order to properly prepare for the day he isn’t there at all. The catcher of the future does need to be brought in, whether that is Kevin Cash or someone not on the Sox roster (I’m all for any of those 4 catchers Texas has).  Tek is not a guy who should be catching 80% of the sox games.  That number needs to be closer to 50%.  He’s not everyday player anymore.  But he’s still an everyday leader.