Jason Varitek said Tuesday night he is "close" to reaching agreement to rejoin the Red Sox in some capacity, and several media outlets reported that sources within the organization confirmed that the team will hire its former captain very soon.
ESPN Boston reported that Varitek -- who retired after the Red Sox declined to bring him back as a player after the 2011 season -- would be named special assistant to general manager Ben Cherington and would "be encouraged to learn the Red Sox system from top to bottom and be involved in a variety of areas, including player development and talent evaluation". WEEI.com said Varitek may "head to Florida in the coming days to work with Red Sox minor-leaguers taking part in the fall instructional league".
Those sources also said, however, that talk of Varitek becoming the Sox manager is premature. It is almost certain he would not be the team's choice to replace Bobby Valentine in 2013 if, as expected, Valentine is fired.