This is going to be quite an offseason for Scott Boras. His biggest job will be trying to find somebody stupid enough to give Manny Ramirez a six-year deal even though Manny is already 35 years old and has made it clear recently that he doesn't care about anything not named Manny Ramirez. Still, while it seems unlikely any team would give Ramirez the kind of deal he's looking for, it wouldn't be the first time Boras pulled one over on a team.
Of course, Ramirez isn't the only old guy that Boras represents and is looking for a new contract. Jason Varitek is a free agent, and Scott recently gave the Boston Globe a call to let them know how valuable Varitek really is.
"If you think about his physical conditioning, he's got many more years to play in this game," Boras said last night. "When he's out there, this club is decisively different. You're really talking about a guy that is inherently valuable. In this day and time, what is a player like that worth?
"We're in the process of finalizing data intake. We have to look at the marketplace. We have to look at similarly situated All-Star players, who they are in stature to their team. There are many comparisons. We're certainly going to look at how those players [were] received in the free agent market and use that as that watermark."
I have no doubt that Jason Varitek is a very important player for the Red Sox, as you generally don't name random guys your captain. Still, I'm not sure Boras is being realistic if he thinks the Red Sox are going to offer Tek a multi-year deal at the age of 37. His numbers increased dramatically this season, and I don't think they're going to get markedly better next season.
So while a one-year deal is a strong possibility, if Boras insists on more than that the Red Sox will likely decide it's time to find their catcher of the future.
