Report: San Francisco Giants ask Red Sox for permission to interview Jason Varitek for vacant managerial position

Red Sox

Varitek has held various roles in Boston’s front office and coaching staff since his retirement from playing in 2011.

Jason Varitek played all 14 seasons of his MLB career with the Red Sox. Rob Carr/Getty Images

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As the Red Sox search for their next general manager, another MLB club is looking to interview one of Boston’s coaches for another job.

The San Francisco Giants are reportedly seeking permission from the Red Sox to speak with Jason Varitek for their open managerial job, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. He said the Giants and Varitek are “expected to have an informational phone call in the coming days” to discuss San Francisco’s interest.

MassLive’s Sean McAdam corroborated the report and said there is uncertainty about Varitek’s interest in the position.

Varitek spent all 14 of his major league playing seasons with Boston (1997-2011) and immediately began working for the organization as a special assistant to the general manager in 2012. Since then, he has held various titles in the front office and on the field such as special assistant to the president of baseball operations, special assistant/catching coach, and as of 2020, a game planning coordinator/catching instructor. His current role has him in uniform and in the dugout on gamedays.

The 51-year-old and the Red Sox agreed to a three-year contract extension to keep him on their coaching staff in November 2022. However, that would not bar him from being able to take a managerial job elsewhere.

Varitek told The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey in 2020 that he does eventually want to manage a team.

“That definitely would be a hope and always have been working toward,” Varitek told McCaffrey after being named Boston’s game planning coordinator. “There’s no timetable, but this is another big step in being able to be around every day.”

Current Red Sox manager Alex Cora spoke highly of Varitek’s future in baseball in 2021, saying he knows the longtime Boston captain is going to helm a club down the road.

“He will manage in the big leagues,” Cora said during spring training two years ago. “He will. But it’s a process, and we talk about it. I think, with time, somebody’s going to give him a chance and he’s going to kill it. He’s going to be great.”

Varitek did interview for the Seattle Mariners’ manager gig following the 2015 season, but did not take the job.

One catching prospect in Boston’s system, Kyle Teel, said he has always “looked up” to Varitek. Teel was this year’s No. 14 pick in the MLB draft and finished this season with the organization’s Double-A club.

The Red Sox and Teel alike probably wouldn’t mind having Varitek around by the time the 21-year-old reaches the big leagues to guide him behind the plate.

Originally posted 2023-10-20 21:16:25.