By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer

The Boston Red Sox did quite a bit of work on Monday, going through the first phase of shaping their roster and payroll for the 2010 season. The team came to a two-year agreement with pitcher Tim Wakefield, did not pick up shortstop Alex Gonzalez’s option, picked-up catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez’s option, and declined catcher Jason Varitek’s team option.

Signing Wakefield was a good move. The salary is reasonable ($5 million over two years). He was an All-Star this past season before yielding to injuries. He is a veteran player with a good clubhouse presence. It gives the team starting pitching depth, and Wakefield will not be counted on to be an ace of Beckett and Lester’s caliber, so there is not much pressure on him to perform. He is also only 17 wins away from the all-time team record for victories (190, shared by Cy Young and Roger Clemens) and come on, wouldn’t Boston fans rather have good ole’ Wakefield have that record than see Clemens name associated with it? Really, the Red Sox cannot lose with this deal.

The Red Sox acquired Alex Gonzalez from Cincinnati in a waiver-deal in August to stabilize the shortstop position. Since 2003, the last time Nomar Garciaparra was the Opening Day starter at shortstop for the Red Sox, the team has had six different players begin the season at short. Gonzalez produced both defensively, and surprisingly, offensively.

Gonzalez made only one error in 44 games with Boston and hit a solid .284 with five home runs. However, the Red Sox were smart in declining his option. No way is he worth $6 million. Boston will try to retain him at a cheaper price, and they need to, because there isn’t really an upgrade out there.

Some options include Miguel Tejada—who had his best overall year since 2006 but will cost whoever signs him a first round draft pick and his salary demands probably will not match his output—Adam Everett, Orlando Cabrera, Bobby Crosby, Marco Scutaro, Khalil Greene, and Jack Wilson. It’s a solid list, but considering what Gonzalez did last year, none of these players would be much of an upgrade, especially considering the price they will come at. Another question: Is Jed Lowrie a possibility?

Picking up Victor Martinez’s option was a no-brainer. First of all to get him, Boston had to give up promising pitching prospect Justin Masterson. Martinez’s numbers also speak for themselves. This previous season he hit .303 with 23 home runs and 108 RBI. Compare that to previous starting catcher Jason Varitek’s numbers of .209/14/51 and it’s obvious that Martinez is a huge upgrade at the position and the Red Sox would be foolish not to keep him.

The toughest decision Monday was concerning Varitek. He was the team’s captain. He had been the Opening Day starting catcher since 2000 and is the all-time Red Sox leader in games caught. The city of Boston loves “Tek”.

However, he has become less and less productive as the years go on. He hasn’t hit .280 since 2005 and his averages the past three seasons were .255, .220, and .209 respectively. He hasn’t hit over 17 home runs since 2005. He isn’t much of an RBI machine either, only one time in his career reaching 80 RBI (85 in 2003). He’s a good fielder and has the respect of the pitching staff, but doesn’t throw many runners out. He will also turn 38 at the beginning of next season.

At an option of $5 million, as much as Varitek has meant to the organization over the years, it was time for Boston to go in another direction. The organization gave him a chance last offseason when they caved and offered him the contract they just declined to pick up. He just couldn’t produce to the expectations ownership had for him.

It doesn’t mean his time as a member of the Red Sox is over. He now has the option to accept a $3 million player option. He would be a great asset to the team in the clubhouse and as a role model to the younger players, but the Red Sox have made it clear that if he returned he would do so as the backup catcher. It’s up to Varitek to decide if that suits him or if it’s time to move on to another team where he could still be a starter.

While everyone waits for Varitek’s decision, the off-season will move forward. And while there were some significant names involved in these moves none of them will be as big or as important as what happens with free agent outfielder Jason Bay.

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