Perhaps it was our natural cynicism, but something always felt off when Craig Breslow and the Boston Red Sox reassigned assistant coach Jason Varitek this past spring.
Objectively, the timing made some sense, given that Varitek — a former All-Star and team captain — officially received a new position after Alex Cora’s dismissal. But the Red Sox never clarified whether the two-time World Series champion was moving into a front-office role, taking a different coaching role, or something in between.
Turns out, the Red Sox weren’t being entirely truthful. Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy confirmed earlier this week that Varitek is “not currently” with the organization, though the two sides have connected over the past six months.
Varitek had not addressed Kennedy’s comments or his future with the organization as of publication.
Craig Breslow and the Boston Red Sox did longtime catcher Jason Varitek dirty
Varitek, who had been the game-planning and run-prevention coach, was one of six assistants who lost their spots on the big-league staff after Cora’s firing. However, he was the only one “reassigned” rather than being outright fired; he nonetheless joined Cora and the other coaches on their flight back to Massachusetts, and briefly went viral for flashing a “thumbs down” gesture in a social media image.
The mistake Breslow, Kennedy, and the Red Sox made was prioritizing immediate action over loyalty and acknowledging what Varitek meant to the organization. Management clearly didn’t feel comfortable firing him or letting him leave on his own terms, so they either outright lied or offered him a reassignment, then kept quiet when he seemingly refused.
There’s no revisionist history to be had about firing Cora, especially given that Boston rallied under interim manager Chad Tracy and reached the postseason. But even at the time, the Red Sox’s handling of Varitek was nonsensical and disrespectful.
Varitek unsurprisingly skipped a May ceremony honoring those who’d previously had their numbers retired. Longtime teammate Pedro Martínez expressed his frustration that night, claiming that there had to be a reason for the All-Star catcher’s unexpected departure.
“To me, ‘Tek is a legend here, and I’m not going to go into details because I don’t know,” Martínez said. “But it’s very unfortunate that I don’t get to see my batterymate out there, giving me a hug or probably receiving the baseball from me when I threw it today.”
This is also exactly why we’ve said the Giants put themselves in an uncomfortable situation with lead baseball executive Buster Posey. Even if San Francisco has another 90-loss season next year, we’re skeptical that ownership would fire the former All-Star catcher, especially if he is elected to the Hall of Fame this coming winter.
Unless the two plan to start a podcast, we likely won’t see Varitek and Cora reunite in 2027; the latter reportedly passed on the Phillies’ managerial opening, a job he’d been linked to since Rob Thomson’s April firing. Maybe Varitek can replace the “thumbs down” with another finger and join the Yankees.
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