Nov 12
C Jason Varitek agreed to activate his 2010 player option on Nov. 11 that will pay him a base salary of $3 million and could allow him to make up to $2 million more in incentives centered on games played and playing time. The switch-hitting catcher hit .209 with a .313 on-base percentage and a .390 slugging percentage last season while showing severe decline in the final two months of the season. The Sox had decided not to pick up Varitek's $5 million team option for 2010, but the 37-year-old will be back in Boston as a backup catcher for at least one more season.
Nov 11
Varitek has exercised his $3 million option to stay with the Red Sox. Boston declined to exercise its $5 million club option on Monday, and Varitek then had two days to decide whether to exercise his player option at the lower price.
Advice: The 37-year-old was Boston?s starting catcher for nine of 10 seasons through 2008, except in 2001 when he was limited to 51 games because of injury. He was the regular last season until Boston obtained Victor Martinez from Cleveland on July 31.
