Jason Varitek Remark Puts Red Sox Front Office in Catherine Varitek’s Crosshairs
jason varitek’s exit from the Red Sox has now become a public fight again. Catherine Varitek took a swipe at Boston Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow on social media Monday morning, and she tied it directly to questions about whether her husband could return.
Catherine Varitek and Craig Breslow
“They have the 'smartest man in baseball' running the show,” she wrote in response to a fan’s question about Jason Varitek returning to the team. She added, “They’ll be OK without Jason, that’s what they wanted. It’s what’s best for the team.”
The remarks landed after the Red Sox tried to frame Jason Varitek’s departure as a reassignment. Instead, he was one of five coaches fired late last month after a 17-1 win in Baltimore, a change that cut loose a longtime figure who had spent three decades in the organization.
Jason Varitek and the Red Sox
Varitek’s standing in Boston gives the comments extra weight. He was the Red Sox captain from 2005 to 2011, a three-time All-Star, a two-time World Series champion and a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame.
He also won a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove in 2005, and he was part of two World Series teams during a run that made him one of the franchise’s most recognizable players. He later coached under Alex Cora for nearly his entire tenure in Boston, keeping him close to the dugout even after his playing career ended.
Sam Kennedy and the return talk
Last week, Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy was asked about Varitek’s status by NESN’s Tom Caron and left the door open to a possible return. Catherine Varitek’s comments pushed that conversation back into the spotlight on Monday morning, with the front office now facing fresh attention over how it handled one of the club’s most visible former players.
That tension has been there since the 54-year-old became known for shoving his mitt in Alex Rodriguez’s face during the 2004 season. Monday’s posts did not close the door on anything, but they made clear that the fallout from Varitek’s departure is still being felt around the Red Sox.
