The Red Sox and Jason Varitek are finalizing a new multi-year contract which will keep the former captain part of the team’s coaching staff, multiple industry sources confirmed Friday. An announcement is expected soon.
Varitek’s contract as the team’s game-planning and run-prevention coach expired at the end of the season. There had been speculation that Varitek might receive some interest as a managerial candidate elsewhere, but it appears that there were no requests to interview him. Currently, there are six managerial openings throughout the game — Baltimore, Washington, Minnesota, Texas, San Diego and Atlanta.
Varitek previously interviewed for a managerial opening with the Seattle Mariners a decade ago and was briefly a candidate two years ago for the San Francisco Giants’ opening before the Giants hired Bob Melvin for the role.
It’s unknown how long the new deal is for, though one industry source speculated that it would run through the 2027 season to align with manager Alex Cora’s deal.
Varitek’s imminent return means that virtually the entire coaching staff will return for 2026. Assistant hitting coach Ben Rosenthal was let go and has been replaced by John Soteropulos, who had worked as the team’s minor league hitting coordinator.
Varitek, who set the franchise record for most games caught in a Red Sox uniform and was a three-time All-Star, retired as a player in 2012. He then served as a special assistant and catching instructor before joining the uniformed coaching staff full-time in 2021. For four seasons, he was the club’s game-planning coordinator and catching coach. Last offseason, his title was changed to game-planning coordinator and run-prevention coach, while Parker Guinn was hired to serve as the team’s catching instructor.
Varitek appeared on WEEI Radio in Boston earlier this month and talked about his future.
“You have to see everything that goes on,” he said. “Have I dumped everything I’ve had to make this organization better? And the people that you mentor, coach, and be a part of? Yes. Do I want to continue to do that? Yes. But I have to see where it all lies.”
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