arty: arty: BOSTON -- Catcher Jason Varitek is staying in Boston, the latest prize in a flurry of free-agent deals by the Red Sox since Pedro Martinez left town.
Varitek and the team reached a preliminary agreement on a four-year contract, a lawyer with knowledge of the negotiations said Thursday. The deal probably will be announced Friday, the lawyer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Another baseball official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was worth about $40 million over the four years.
"Jason is clearly a key asset we need retain. He is the rock solid leader of our club," principal owner John Henry said in an e-mail to The Associated Press, without confirming an agreement.
Red Sox president Larry Lucchino referred questions on Varitek to general manager Theo Epstein, who could not be reached for comment.
Since Martinez finalized a $53 million, four-year contract with the New York Mets on Dec. 16, the Red Sox have added shortstop Edgar Renteria and right-handers Matt Clement and Wade Miller and retained Varitek. Agreements were completed with Clement on Wednesday and Miller on Thursday.
Varitek, valued for handling pitchers, will work with a revamped staff after Boston added five pitchers since winning the World Series for the first time in 86 years.
His agreement came a few hours after the Red Sox finalized a $1.5 million, one-year deal with Miller. On Wednesday, they completed a three-year contract with an average annual value of $8.5 million for Clement.
They also signed veteran left-hander David Wells for two years at an average of $4 million. That's an annual average of $14 million, excluding bonuses, for three pitchers. The Red Sox almost paid that much for Martinez, offering him a three-year deal with a $13.5 million average. They also chose not to re-sign Derek Lowe.
Varitek, 32, was Boston's top priority among its four high-profile free agents who included Martinez, Lowe and shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who got a $32 million, four-year contract from Anaheim after Boston signed Renteria to a $40 million, four-year deal.
Varitek hit a career-high .296 last season with 18 homers and 73 RBIs. Since he was obtained from Seattle in 1997, he has a .271 batting average with 97 homers and 418 RBIs in 832 games.
"It's incredibly important" for Varitek to return, pitcher Curt Schilling said in late November.
"It would be devastating to this team if Jason Varitek didn't come back," backup catcher Doug Mirabelli said at the time.
The chance to pitch to Varitek appealed to Clement.
"A huge thing for me was the catching situation. Hopefully that's the same as it's been for a while," he said. "When I watch catchers, I think, 'Man, I'd like to throw to this guy.' I remember saying that a lot of times" about Varitek.
Miller, 28, had spent his entire career in Houston's organization but became a free agent when the Astros didn't offer him a contract Monday. He hopes to be ready for spring training after missing the second half of last season with a frayed rotator cuff.
Schilling, Tim Wakefield and Bronson Arroyo remain from last year's rotation. Add newcomer John Halama, who started at least 10 games each of the past four seasons, and the Red Sox seem well-armed to defend their title.
"Our depth is significantly improved," general manager Theo Epstein said during a conference call. "You can never assume health and readiness to go, so we'll be very fortunate if we're in a situation where we have six guys ready to go at the same time."
Schilling isn't expected to be ready for opening day after ankle surgery. Miller plans to begin throwing the first week of January and to report to spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., a couple of weeks early.
"I plan to start throwing as I normally would any other year," he said.
Miller, 28, was a combined 31-12 in 2001 and 2002 but wasn't surprised when he wasn't offered a contract by the Astros, who hope to re-sign high-priced stars Roger Clemens and Carlos Beltran.
"I guess they felt that they weren't going to take a risk on me," Miller said. "There's no hard feelings."
He was impressed that the Red Sox pursued him aggressively.
"I wanted to go to a good team," Miller said. "I realize good teams have good pitching all the way through the rotation. I think I can be a good part of that."
He passed a physical Wednesday.
"The latest exams show full range of motion, excellent strength throughout the shoulder and rotator cuff," Epstein said. "We're very optimistic that he's going to have success when he starts throwing in a couple of weeks."
Miller was 7-7 with a 3.35 ERA before going on the disabled list last June 29. He was 16-8 with a 3.40 ERA in 2001 and 15-4 with a 3.28 ERA in 2002. In 2003, he pitched through right forearm pain and was 14-13 with a 4.13 ERA.
