MVN: Most Valuable Network

Incase you spent most of the weekend recovering from a New Years party hangover, here are a few tid bits you might have missed:

The Providence Journal is reporting that the Red Sox have rekindled talks with Scott Boras about Jason Varitek and a two-year deal may be on the table. Boras is still hoping to get Tek a four-year deal and around $10M per year, but with no other suitors, the Sox can afford to wait for reality to sink in.

That said, I'm not too keen on using a combo of Bard/Brown/Kottaras in 2009, so I hope the Sox either re-sign Varitek or bite the bullet and trade Buchholz for a young catcher like Saltalamacchia or Montero.

* * * *

Gregg Zaun told the Boston Globe he would love to play for the Red Sox:

"I'd love it. My agent has had ongoing talks with Boston and I would love to see that happen. I feel one of the things I have going in my favor is being in Toronto for so long I have a deep knowledge of the AL East. I would also love the challenge of playing in Boston, where every day you go to the ballpark it's a meaningful game and you're fighting for something. That atmosphere, I'm telling you, there's nothing like it, and to be a part of that would be unbelievable. I played for Tito back in the Arizona Fall League on the same team as Michael Jordan. Unfortunately I got hurt, but Tito has been watching me a long time."

Zaun turns 38 in April, he hit .237 last season and lost his job to Rod Barajas. That was better than Varitek's .220, and Tek will be 37 in April, but if I had to chose, I'd take the guy that has experiecne with the Sox pitching staff... but Zaun will be cheaper.

And since we're talking catchers, Centerfield found Doug Mirabelli sticking it to the Yankees - read the whole article here.

In other news: There are 150 free agents still looking for homes and at least one GM expects things to heat up now that the holidays are behind us ... The Yankees are expected to offically welcome Mark Teixeira this week ... The Angels agreed to a 2-year deal with RP Brian Fuentes after losing K-Rod to the Mets ...

And if you didn't see it earlier - Kevin Youkilis responded to our questions. Click HERE to read his answers.