Agent Scott Boras is trying to sell veteran catchers Jason Varitek and Ivan Rodriguez, but is struggling to find a respectable offer. Both catchers have playoff experience, and have caught a World Series team, including a couple no-hitters. There is no doubt that these catchers know how to call a game, but their offense is what is holding them back. "The catching market is very interesting," Boras said, "teams are not going to say they are in the market for a catcher because they do not want to ruin the trade value of their current catcher." At this point, the Red Sox are the only known team in talks with Boras about Varitek. The Red Sox are trying to work a trade for Jarrod Saltalamachhia or Miguel Montero, but might need to wait till Spring Training before the price comes down. Of the remaining catchers on the market, Michael Barrett is the best bet if you are looking for offense.
A good catcher is hard to find, especially during the past couple years. They are rare, and teams have no interest in giving up unless they are overwhelmed with an offer. With that said, teams view the value of catchers completely differently, at least not the way Boras views it: "The catcher position is experienced based." The Orioles like Ivan Rodriguez, but view him as a back up to Matt Wieters, their top prospect. The Marlins also like Rodriguez, but only if his price comes down significantly.
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