Today the Boston Red Sox and Doug Marabelli have agreed on a deal that will bring him back for an 8th season with the team. The dealing is pending a physical, and has not been finalized, but it looks as though he will be back to catch knuckleballer Tim Wakefield once again.
Marabelli will be taking a pay cut from last years salary of $750,000. His new deal calls for a base salary of $550,000, but he can make more than double that in bonuses. His potential bonuses are the following:
1-$275,000 in roster bonuses
2-$150,000 in conditioning bonuses
3- $1.25 million in performance bonuses (games and games started)
The 37 year catcher originally joined the Red Sox in June of 2001. He was acquired from Texas June 12, 2001 in a trade from the Texas Rangers in exchange for minor league right hander, Justin Duchscherer. The trade was made necessary when Jason Varitek broke his elbow diving for a foul ball. Aside from a brief stint with San Diego, Marabelli has been with Boston ever since.
His best year with Boston was 2004, when he hit career hit .281, and played an important part in winning the World Series. Since then, he has averaged only 6 home runs and 20 RBI while batting at a .206 clip.
Last year, he hit only .202 with 5 homeruns and 16 RBI. The Sox hope he can return to the offense level of production he once enjoyed, but are content with the solid defense he has provided catching the knuckleball. The Red Sox view his signing as a low risk, and for comfort levels it was worth making. Once again, the deal is pending a physical.
Other news, on the catching front. Jason Varitek is entering the final year of the 4 year deal he signed after the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. There are indications from both his agent, Scott Boras, and from the Red Sox that the two says may soon begin working on a contract extension.
Keywords: Boston, Doug Marabelli, Jason Varitek, Red Sox, World Series
