Jason Varitek is not part of the Red Sox organization right now, and Sam Kennedy made that clear on Monday.
During Boston’s end-of-season press conference, the Red Sox president was asked directly about Varitek and gave a much more straightforward answer than the one the team had offered back in April. Kennedy said the two sides have been in contact, but there is no update on any reunion.
"We've connected with each other, but I've got no update on that ... but [we] look forward to continuing dialogue as we move forward," Kennedy said.
That matters because Varitek’s status had been clouded months ago when the Red Sox handled his departure in a way that left plenty of confusion outside the organization. At the time of Alex Cora’s firing, there was uncertainty about whether Varitek had been included in the changes.
Varitek, of course, is a Boston icon. He spent his entire playing career with the Red Sox and remains a fan favorite, which made the original messaging around his exit especially sensitive. The team described the move as a “reassignment,” but the details of that never really surfaced.
Monday’s comments cut through that fog. Kennedy didn’t dance around the question, and he didn’t leave much room for interpretation: Varitek is not currently working with the Red Sox in any capacity.
There was also discussion on Monday about possible coaching staff changes. Chad Tracy said he will be talking about that possibility with Boston’s brain trust in the coming days. But if Varitek was ever going to be part of that conversation, Kennedy’s remarks appear to have shut that door.
For now, the Red Sox seem to understand exactly how much Varitek means to their fan base. Whether the organization wanted to keep him around or simply mishandled the whole episode, the end result is the same: Varitek is out, and Monday’s update made that unmistakable.
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