David Ross: 'There was a lot of interest'

Appearing on The Red Sox Hot Stove Show on Thursday night [1], newly signed catcher David Ross said that he signed his two-year, $6.2 million contract in large part because of his relationship with Sox manager John Farrell, along with the message relayed by general manager Ben Cherington.

"John called and talked to me, and so did Ben, and I think just hearing their interest in me and where they wanted to take the team and how they wanted to get back to how it was when I was here in '08, which I just loved it with quality guys and quality talent," said Ross, who played in eight games with the Red Sox during the '08 season, making the playoff roster. "Just to hear the way they talked about the game was reassuring to me. We all want to win and get on the same page with everybody working together as a whole unit to win ballgames.

"We want to get quality talent with quality people and I think that's their recipe for success. … Reputation in the game, they're taking that into consideration instead of just going out and getting the best person. I think that's a huge, important piece, especially when you're talking about the difference between a talented player and a talented player who is a good person, who is a leader and will set an example and play hard every day. … Those kind of people who care about winning, care about winning baseball. That's the message I got."

Ross said he drew significant from other teams, having established himself as one of the game's better defensive catchers. He has managed a catchers ERA of 3.56 or better in each of the last four seasons, while throwing out 14-of-33 base-stealers last season.

"I didn't really have any expectations in the offseason for any teams," he said. "My agent said, 'You don't want to get your hopes up if there is somewhere you really want to go, let's just wait to see who calls.' There was a lot of interest. A lot of teams called, which was really humbling for me, some of the teams that called, especially with the Red Sox and how upfront they were with me. That was really a nice experience to be a backup most of your career. … I think the playing time for me is going to be kind of a split. I don't know if it's going to be matchups or whatever. But they told me I'm going to be more than a backup. I'm not going to be the starter, I'm not going to be catching six days a week. But that's not why I signed there. I signed there because of how I was treated, and obviously they put their best foot forward financially, too."

To listen to the entire interview, click here [1].

For more Red Sox news, go to the team page at weei.com/redsox [2].