Recently at UmpBump HQ, there’s been a lot of Boston Red Sox talk. While the Yankees have acquired themselves some big-ticket items and the already-strong Rays made a few smart, affordable moves, the BoSox have been raiding the sale rack. And they’re clearly not done yet — this morning’s announcement was the signing of Takashi Saito, and there’s word they’re also focusing on Miguel Montero. We debated a few of their recent moves, for Josh Bard, Rocco Baldelli, John Smoltz, and Mr. Jamie Kotsay.

Coley: Now the Red Sox have signed Mark Kotsay. How is this guy a fourth (or even fifth!) outfielder? The Sox have insane depth. It really is like they have money to burn.

Paul: the 4th/5th OF thing isn’t so important as promising these guys PAs. Baldelli is always a game-time decision. Plus, Kotsay spells Youk at first, who will also spell Lowell at 3rd. He’ll get a decent amount of playing time. Plus, it seems that Kotsay is a very good defensive firstbaseman and isn’t terrible offensively. I think it’s a good use of 1.5MM.

Coley: That’s what I mean about Boston’s depth. They’ve got Kotsay who can play outfield and 1B. They’ve got Youk who can play 1B and 3B. They’ve got Lugo who can play SS and 2B and Jed Lowrie, who can play almost any infield position. Regarding at bats, I understand why guys want to play for Boston, but I’m surprised a guy like Kotsay wouldn’t go somewhere where he could get more at bats.

Sarah: “They’ve got Lugo who can play SS and 2B” should read: “They’ve got Lugo who sucks no matter where you put him.” (Readers: take one drink.) Kotsay wanted to go somewhere where he could be a regular, I thought he just couldn’t find a taker.

Coley: I understand that Kotsay couldn’t find a starting job, but there surely are teams where he stood a better chance of getting regular playing time, or “burn” as we call it in the industry. The Giants, for example, need an outfielder and a 1B, and Kotsay plays both. Maybe Kotsay’s counting on Lowell being hurt and Youk playing third?

Sarah: Why not? Lowell was hurt for much of last season. And I think if the choice is limited playing time with either the Giants or the Sox, the answer is pretty clear.

Coley: I don’t think it’s clear. Both the Giants and Sox have a shot at making the playoffs this season. Both play in gorgeous stadiums. And the weather and food is better in San Francisco. Plus, I’m sure Kotsay has roots in the Bay area from his days in Oakland.

Paul: Maybe the Manny situation played a role. If Kotsay thought there was a chance that Manny signs in SF, there goes his “burn”.

Sarah: Those are all good points. But maybe he’s just as happy not to move across the country right now, all things being equal. Or maybe he just really likes red Sox fans. :)

Coley: He doesn’t need the warm embrace of Red Sox nation. He’s got Jamie. And I don’t think there’s much chance Manny signs in SF. They don’t have the money.

Paul: I don’t think that Manny’s going to end up in SF either. But it’s all about creating doubt. Say, the Red Sox played that hand – “Manny might go to San Fran. Stay here and you don’t have to worry about it. But you have to decide now.”

Coley: That’s probably roughly what they told Brad Penny, right before they went out and signed John Smoltz.

Paul: I don’t think the Smoltz situation will hurt Penny. (Beckett-Lester-Smoltz (after he recovers) -Matsuzaka-Penny.) It’ll hurt Wake. Now the whole “bringing Josh Bard back” thing makes sense. I was wondering why the Sox would do that when they shipped Bard out a couple of years ago because he couldn’t catch the knuckler.

Sarah: Another big draw for players (maybe in Penny and Baldelli’s case) is Boston’s medical staff. They are known for having basically the best medical staff in MLB. Plus, being in Boston, they have access to some of the best doctors and hospitals in the world. I think the Sox signed Bard because they realized:

a) he was one of the better options (if not the best option) for a backup catcher
b) they have openly said trading him away was a mistake
c) they are not done trying to get a young catcher to replace Tek as the starting guy

Coley: I’m really interested to see if a Buchholz-Saltalamacchia trade happens. The Bard thing confuses me a little, though. If the Sox do land Salty, I don’t see them starting the season with Salty and Bard as the two catchers. First of all, I don’t think either of them can catch Wake. Second, if the Sox land Salty, I think they’ll pair him with a veteran.

Sarah: They did carry three catchers for pretty much the whole second half last year. Besides, anyone who turns out to be surplus can be traded this summer.

Paul: I don’t understand the three catcher thing for an AL team. You’re already down one bench spot for the DH. Why burn another one with the third catcher? Then again, the Red Sox are far smarter than i am.

Coley: If the Sox did carry a third catcher, and it was a veteran, it would have to be somebody who was just happy to be on the roster. I don’t think Tek would sign on just to mentor the kids. Maybe Sal Fasano is available?

Sarah: At this point, if the Sox do get, say, Teagarden for Buchholz, this is how I see it playing out:

• Tek and Tea split time; Tea catches Wake (if Wake even pitches — he was injured for much of ‘08 too)
• When Tek gets injured, Tea takes over; Bard backs him up (Tek plays hurt all the time — probably hurts more than JD Drew ever does, but is made of pig iron, chewing tobacco, and Clint Eastwood’s spit, so he never says anything  — but with a young, talented catcher on the roster, he wouldn’t have to keep sucking it up all the time).
• If it’s Salty and not Tea, the Sox have Salty take over first base now and then; Wakefield retires rather than force Bard, Salty, or Tek to catch him, because Wake always puts the team first. He’s just that kind of guy.

Nick: If the Sox trade for a catcher, they definitely won’t resign Varitek. If the trade happens, one of Bard or the new guy will have to catch Wakefield.

Sarah: Well, yes. That is the unspoken “nuclear option.” Though part of the reason no other team wants to sign him is that they’ll have to give up a draft pick to do so (because the Sox offered him arb and he declined) and so far, no one has wanted to do that. So even if the Sox do get a young catcher in addition to Bard, Varitek still might end up in the Sal Fasano posish of “just wanting to be on the roster.”

What do you guys think? Sox fans, how do you feel about this bevy of small moves compared to New York’s two giant signings? Non-Sox fans, would you want to see your team take a chance on Varitek? What about the Saito move? And we barely touched on Smoltz! Let’s keep the convo going in the comments.

The Boston Globe has launched “an upstart weekly publication” called “OT – Our Town. Our Teams.” The paper version is 50 cents, and it also appears online at Boston.com.

Readers, it’s a blog. It’s a blog that happens to be printed every week in dead-tree format. It’s published online in the same single-column format that UmpBump and countless other blogs are published in. And while countless other blogs might write the following screed, countless other blogs would be doing it because they, of course, are actual baseball writers’ wives who sit in their pajamas in mom’s basement all day making sh*t up. Or, they’re me, and they’re just really sick of Julio Lugo’s 18 errors and 27 strikeouts per game and have to let off some way over-the-top steam.

But theoretically, Chad Finn is more informed than Murray Chass’s wife and actually meant it when he wrote this about about Jason Varitek — either that, or it’s just the fledgling site’s attempt to get comments and incoming links. Some excerpts:

“Recent events suggest he’s teetering on becoming one of the most vile subspecies of professional athletes: an aging, subpar performer who demands the salary and security of a prime-of-career star.”

That’s just factually incorrect. The most vile subspecies of pro athletes are the ones in their prime who have everything going for them and who don’t play hard or who blame their teammates for losses. Other key subspecies: the ones who beat their wives, rape hotel clerks, get arrested for torturing dogs, or unlawfully discharge firearms in strip clubs.

“Scott Sauerbeck. Chad Bradford. Jeff Suppan. Byung-Hyun Kim. Ramiro Mendoza. Bobby Howry. Matt Clement. Wade Miller. The point isThe Red Sox had enough pitchers who failed miserably here in recent years to fill every staff in the Can-Am League. If Varitek is going to get heaps of praise for the successes, shouldn’t he accept some measure of fault for the failures? Funny how no one ever mentions he caught 13 of Clay Buchholz’s 15 starts this season.”

The Buck’s problem is that he suddenly couldn’t locate his fastball. That’s the first rule of pitching, and I fail to see how Tek can help him there. In start after start, we watched Buchholz try to establish his fastball, only to fall behind in the count when he couldn’t put it over the plate. His breaking stuff was still nasty, but without the fastball, pitchers had no incentive to swing at it.

Varitek is tied for most no-hitters caught, and would have the record if Curt Schilling had listened to him with two out in the bottom of the ninth in 2007. Are we really going to blame him for Matt Clement, who had to have season-ending shoulder surgery? Most of the pitchers on that list are Dan Duquette “bargains” — and for those of you who weren’t living in the baseball Guantanamo that was Boston during the Dan Duquette years, Dan Duquette’s idea of a bargain is sort of like my boyfriend’s. “Hey, this is cheap! Let’s take it. Maybe we can use it. Yeah, it’s kind of broken…maybe a little smelly. And I’m not sure exactly what it is. But it’s just so cheap! How can you say no?!”

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Free coffee and baseball: This is a match made in heaven, from Sarah’s point of view. Two notes: 1. Jose Canseco is worried that he’ll get poisoned via free coffee. 2. Jonathan Papelbon is advertising free coffee (with purchase of either a flatbread sandwich or a pizza) at Dunkin’ Donuts, available the day after the Red Sox win. Sounds a bit complicated to me—and it’s cheap of DD to exclude their own employees. Not to mention that Paps looks like a cheeseball in this photo. Why didn’t they just go with a real post-game shot?

Speed: the Blue Jays are going to be swiping more bags this season. And speaking of speed, I enjoyed watching the A’s relievers throw over to first with Jason Varitek standing on the bag. Yes, let’s make sure the 35-year old catcher doesn’t steal.

Fans: It just goes to show you that the Dodgers really do have a special relationship with their fans, as LA hurler Brad Penny warmed up with a lucky fan yesterday. Across town, Angels owner Arte Moreno bought souvenirs for several fans. And it seems that Baltimore’s long-suffering faithful are finally abandoning their ballclub. Just don’t get mad when the Sox come to town in May and bring their hordes of free-spending fans with them, transforming Camden Yards into Fenway South. The O’s need the revenue.

No-hitters: Yesterday, ESPN.com carried a teaser for the Chicago-Detroit game saying the Dontrelle Willis was throwing a no-no through five innings. To me, that’s just false advertising. Sure, it’s technically accurate to say that D-Train ended up one-hitting the White Sox, but it would perhaps be more descriptive to say that Willis went five innings, while walking seven and striking out none. It was the least dominant no-no bid I’ve ever watched. An outing more worthy of ESPN’s hype would have been Jake Peavy’s two-hit complete game or Manny Parra’s legit seven-strikeout no-hit bid, carried through five innings.

Reds Rookies: On the heels of Johnny Cueto’s stunning debut Thursday, another Reds rookie pitcher impresses today. Edinson Volquez has pitched five innings so far, with seven K’s and one earned run. He’s scattered three hits and two walks.

Sleep: The Red Sox really do need it. Their odyssey from Florida to Japan to California to Toronto is starting to tell, and it’s most readily apparent on defense. Boston has already committed two errors halfway through today’s game. They had two errors yesterday, too, and have racked up a number of sloppy near-errors over the past few games. They have a day off tomorrow and open Fenway Park on Tuesday.

It’s a touchy subject in Boston to be sure. On this most optimistic of days, the Red Sox’ home opener, the captain of the team, catcher Jason Varitek, looks to be nearing his end. And so the question hangs in the air, like a solitary rain cloud on an otherwise sunny day: What’s to be done about Tek?

Last season, Tek hit .238 with 12 HR in about 30 fewer games than usual, due to injuries. So far this season he’s hitting .125. Of course, it’s early, but the Red Sox captain didn’t exactly light it up in spring training, either. I saw him in person in a game against the Devil Rays. He looked over-matched.

The situation with Varitek gets even stickier because moving him to a reserve roll would mean giving more playing time to backup Doug Mirabelli, who isn’t exactly the second coming of Babe Ruth. Last season Mirabelli hit .193 in 59 games for Boston. The Sox are stuck with Mirabelli on their roster, despite his offensive ineffectiveness, because he’s the only guy in the organization, maybe the only guy on earth, who can catch knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. So as long as Wakefield is around, Mirabelli will be, too.

Which brings us back to Tek, and what to do with him. The Sox have a promising prospect in George Kottaras, who can flat out hit but is still learning the position. Lately, though, folks in the Sox organization have been raving about the progress Kottaras has made behind the plate. You get the feeling this would be a great time to bring Kottaras up to the show, to let him back up Varitek and let him learn from the team captain how to handle an MLB staff. Except then the Sox would either have to cut Mirabelli or let the new guy try and catch Wakefield, which would be more than a little cruel.

It’s a dilly of a pickle, indeed. It’s a problem that Varitek could solve himself, should he rediscover his hitting stroke. But should he continue to struggle with the bat, the Sox will have some tough decisions to make.

UPDATE: As I type this, Varitek is 3 for 3 in today’s game versus Seattle. I want to go on record saying this absolutely doesn’t mean that he’s rediscovered his stroke. It’s not bad news, of course. And Varitek should be happy about his good day. But he got his three hits off of Jeff Weaver and the Mariners’ bullpen. Hitting against Weaver shouldn’t even count towards a player’s stats. The only thing easier than getting a base hit off of Weaver is hitting a homer off of Eric Milton. I was walking across the street the other day and tripped on the curb and accidentally hit a homer off of Milton. I don’t know how it happened, but it did.

Okay, just kidding. (Please, no anthrax letters to UmpBump HQ.)

Seriously, though, the injuries to my beloved Red Sox just keep adding up. Jason Varitek, Trot Nixon, Matt Clement, Tim Wakefield, Keith Foulke. And those are just the major guys currently out. Let’s not forget David Wells and Coco Crisp missing major time earlier this year. And Mike Timlin hasn’t been the same since coming off the DL in June. Now Mike Lowell is limping.

As if all that weren’t quite enough, Doug Mirabelli injured himself in the course of tonight’s game as well. New veteran (”new veteran”?) Javy Lopez replaced him mid-game. After Varitek’s meniscus tear, Mirabelli’s twisted ankle, Josh Bard’s raging case of fingerus butterificus, and Tim Wakefield terrifying John Flaherty into retirement, Javy might want to take out an insurance policy or buy some juju beads or something.

Then Curt Schilling really tried to send all of Red Sox Nation into cardiac arrest by trying to barehand a well-hit ball with his pitching hand.

Curt, we appreciate the effort, but let’s not have a sequel of the “bloody sock.” Sequels are never as good as the original.

As in done for good.

Oh sure, he’ll have surgery, and rehab his knee, and come back and catch some games.  But I suspect this is the beginning of the end, as much as I hate to say so.

Cartiledge surgery has come a long way, and most people recover pretty well from it, at least in the short run.

But cartiledge can’t heal itself or regenerate, so all you can do in those surgeries is staple the cartiledge back together or remove the torn part.  Having the injury at all increases your chance of having another tear and having a surgery done increases your chances even further.  To say nothing of the increased chances if you are a baseball player, let alone a catcher.

Let’s face it. Jason Varitek is 35 years old next April, and as a catcher it’s an old 35. He’s caught exactly 1000 games in the big leagues. That is a lot of wear and tear. This knee situation has been bothering him all year and had already sapped his power and his playing time even before the actual tear. It’s not going to get better, even after surgery.

And seeing as how 4-6 weeks is the minimum just to resume “active behavior” for this kind of surgery, it’s hard to see how Varitek could return to the grind of full-time catching in time to make any sort of impact before the end of the season. And for a player whose entire skill set depends on his knees, this injury is huge. Even if he comes back, his career is probably going down a steep hill from here.

My column today in the Boston Metro, in which I slavishly worship Jason Varitek, who passed Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk last week for most games caught in a Red Sox uniform. Hot!