The Red Sox have agreed on a contract with catcher Kelly Shoppach to a one-year $1.35MM deal. This basically ends any chance of Varitek coming back, which I think at this point we can all agree on is a good thing. What I don't understand is what are they going to do with Lavarnway? It basically bumps him off the major league roster, so maybe now he is trade bait?
Shoppach as some pop (hit 21 HRs in 2008), but it's been awhile since he has been a good player. His batting average has declined over the past 4 years from .261-.214-.196-.176. The good news is he threw out 41% of potential base-stealers last year, which was the top caught stealing percentage in the AL.
I have said it before and I'll say it again, the Red Sox aren't going to spend move this offseason because they don't wan tto pay the luxury tax, so get ready for a lot more of the "minor" signings.