Jason Varitek, who was acquired by the Red Sox along with Derek Lowe in a trade with the Mariners for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb in 1997, has now spent more than a quarter-century in the Red Sox organization. He’s not going to be leaving it anytime soon.
On Wednesday, Varitek’s wife, Catherine, tweeted that the former team captain had signed up to work with the Red Sox for three more years.
You’re officially stuck with him! Signed for the next 3 years!! 🎉⚾️#Captain #Varitek #DirtyWater #BostonYoureMyHome https://t.co/8pQwQC21mt
— Catherine Varitek (@CatherinVaritek) November 2, 2022
Late this season, Varitek addressed his tenure in the organization, saying, “I go back to being very fortunate. I’ve been very fortunate to be around great players, great teams, great leadership, to be a part of that.”
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A team source confirmed that Varitek, the Sox’ game planning coordinator and catching instructor, will be back in the same capacity, and that the entirety of manager Alex Cora’s coaching staff is expected back.
Cora and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom had suggested as much at the end of the season, though bench coach Will Venable reportedly drew interest from the Royals in their managerial search. But Kansas City instead hired Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro.
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @alexspeier.