BOSTON – Most reasonable minds would conclude that getting the Red Sox and Jason Varitek to agree on a new contract would create the most seamless outcome to the club’s catching vacancy.

After all, the Red Sox’s hopes of making it to the postseason rest mostly upon the shoulders of the pitching staff, and nobody understands the staff’s stuff better than the 37-year-old Varitek.

There is no guarantee, of course, that Varitek will sign. A club source said Thursday that the “status quo” remained in effect, meaning one week after owner John Henry flew to Atlanta to meet with him, there is no deal. The possibility remains that the Red Sox will have to turn to their two other options between today and three weeks from now, when pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers, Fla.

The first option is going with the existing trio of Josh Bard and rookies George Kottaras and Dusty Brown, with one losing out on the two open slots.

The other outcome would be the Red Sox pulling the trigger on a trade for a new young catcher. The three leading candidates are Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden of Texas, and Miguel Montero of the Diamondbacks.

Making a trade for any of those three would involve parting with at least one prized pitching prospect. So far, the names being asked from the Red Sox most often are Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden and Daniel Bard.

Trading prospects is not something the Red Sox do with great enthusiasm. The return would have to be pretty good, so it should not come as a big surprise to hear that the young catchers – Teagarden is 25, Saltalamacchia turns 24 in May, Montero 26 in July – each offers at least one compelling skill that would make life without Varitek, and the prospects, at least bearable.

In Montero, it would undoubtedly be his catching and pitch-calling skills. Randy Johnson in particular is said to have been high on Montero as a catcher, and other Arizona veterans enjoyed throwing to him. For his age and experience – he spent just two years in the D’backs minor league system – the Venezuelan is considered very mature.

Offensively, his numbers have been slow to develop, getting limited at-bats last year with Chris Snyder ahead of him on the depth chart. His offensive stats do not jump off the page – .309 career on-base percentage, .239 batting average, with a more decent 15 home runs in 414 at-bats – but there is a difference of opinion in the scouting community about how much better he can become with the bat.

Offense is not a problem for Saltalamacchia, who has the potential to become a force with his bat. He is still developing catching-wise but, as the youngest of the three, time is on his side. Few would project him to become the type of defensively accomplished catcher that Montero is, but his offense – high on-base, slugging, average capability – could be of a special caliber.

Teagarden offers the most complete package, blending better catching skills than Saltalamacchia and better offense than Montero. That is likely why he would command a more expensive return in prospects, the same reason why his name is heard less frequently than Saltalamacchia or Montero.

In a matter of days, the names of Saltalamacchia, Montero and Teagarden could drift into the background if Varitek and the Red Sox strike a deal.

If that does not happen, however, and a trade is made, the need to learn everything one can about the newcomer is almost as great as the learning curve he faces coming to the Red Sox.