According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Jason Varitek is expected to decline arbitration, meaning the Red Sox would earn two draft picks if he ends up signing elsewhere:
Dodgers left fielder Manny Ramirez, Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek and Mariners outfielder Raul Ibanez are among the free agents expected to reject arbitration and remain on the open market, major-league sources say.
A fluid market could lead some free agents to shift plans or even re-sign with their original clubs before they are required to make a decision on arbitration at midnight Sunday ET. But virtually all of the top free agents seem unwilling to accept arbitration, which would tie them to their clubs on one-year, non-guaranteed contracts.
[...]
Varitek, 36, seems an ideal candidate to accept the Red Sox's offer — despite batting only .220 last season, he would receive an increase from his $9 million salary through the arbitration process.
But Varitek's agent, Scott Boras, might prefer to keep pushing for a multi-year deal, perhaps even from the Red Sox — a bold approach, considering that the demand for high-priced catchers appears limited.
Some rival agents, however, believe that Boras might be offering Varitek in a "package deal" with the catcher's friend and fellow Georgia Tech alum, free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira. The Red Sox are pursuing Teixeira, and the Nationals are among the other teams that might have interest in both players
Good news if Varitek doesn't re-sign with the Sox. However, I'll take a package deal if that means we can nab Teixeira easier. We'll give Teixeira his deal and then bring back Varitek for, say, a one-year deal? Sounds great to me, but probably not Scott Boras.