David Ortiz envisions himself wearing a Red Sox uniform past this season, and hopes the team feels the same way, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Ortiz is in the final year of a $52MM contract, with the Sox holding an $12.5MM option for 2011.
"I want to stay here in Boston and always have a home here, go back and forth when I do retire," said Ortiz. "The people here have been good to me and I’ve tried to be good to them."
Ortiz's $12.5MM option for next season looks a little pricey when taking into account the present-day value of designated hitters. Hideki Matsui ($6.5MM) and Vladimir Guerrero ($5MM) are among the DHs that received one-year contracts last winter for approximately half of Ortiz's 2011 price tag. And while Ortiz has recovered from a slow start to put up impressive numbers (.262/.382/.552), the free agent market this winter will be flush with similar players, including Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, Derrek Lee, Adam LaRoche, and Carlos Pena.
Still, even if the club declines his option, Ortiz is optimistic that he and the Sox can work something out: "Hopefully, it gets done…. I think I will be here. I may look crazy, but I'm not stupid. I don't see myself playing nowhere else and that's important to me."
The 34-year-old said earlier this year that he'd like to play for two or three more years, so if the Red Sox are interested in bringing him back, Ortiz will likely look to finish his career in Boston.
If Ortiz doesn’t fancy himself “stupid”, he better give the Red Sox a good discount.
He is a good hitter, but DH types are a dime a dozen, and a lot of players numbers could benefit from the friendly confines of Fenway park.
I’d love to see him back but more than that I would love to see Adam Dunn their DH for 4-5 years.
same
Adam Dunn would be a beast at Fenway…but Ortiz has given the Sox many good years and is having a nice year this year as well, would be disrespectful in my opinion to let him go.
I could see the Sox resigning him for 2 more years, although he’d have to take at least a 50% pay cut to do so. Maybe a low base, incentive laden contract would get it done.
Ortiz is still really good, but he’s up there in age and DH’s get paid very minimally now compared to a few years ago (Jim Thome gets a 1 year 1.5mil deal this offseason while Travis Hafner got 4 years 57 mil in 2007). Declining the option is a no brainer, but I see Ortiz returning to Boston for 10-15 million over 2 years with an option for a third year (since his retirement is in question).
I dont see Ortiz taking a 50% pay cut. He is far to arrogant for that.
I don’t know whether Ortiz is arrogant or not, but I DO think either his agent or himself can read the market. There is no way he’s going to make anything resembling his current contract.
At this point in his career, he is an AL only player (DH). I think if he’s only going to be able to go year to year with other clubs…Boston I think would do two years if the deal was team friendly.
But then again, what do I know. I’m not the guy running around Yawkey with a gorilla suit on.
Remember how Johnny Damon wouldn’t take a pay cut from the Yankees?
David Ortiz won’t take one from the Red Sox.
They’re the same mentality.
Ortiz will be DH’ing in Toronto or Oakland next season.
Mark it down.
Who is Ortiz’ agent? If it’s not Scott Boras, then he might have a chance at staying in Boston. Damon wanted to remain in NY but he allowed Boras to handle the negotiations completely, and in the process negotiated himself out of a chance to return. My guess is Ortiz won’t do that, yet it’s really going to come down to the Red Sox. They may let him to leave under the belief that it’s better to let a player go one year too early than one year too late. That’s what the Yankees did with Matsui.
Where did you all get your insight on Ortiz’s personality? I’d especially like to know how you’ve managed to compare him to Johnny Damon? Seems to me like you’re assuming he’s arrogant and will try to milk the BoSox for every dime, which very well could happen, but I don’t see when he has ever shown he has the Johnny Damon mentality.
I agree. I never really thought of Ortiz as being any more arrogant than the next player…
Yeah, I mean if he wants to finish his career in Boston he knows he has to take some sort of pay cut… unlike Damon who still could fetch a fairly large contract at his age. Ortiz isn’t in the position where he decides what he wants. You really can’t compare the two. They’re in completely different situations.
Whatever you have to tell yourself to get through the night Sawx fans.
The fact is players who were once “the man” on their teams don’t willingly take pay cuts unless they see themselves diminished. It’s ego.
Damon couldn’t fathom taking a pay cut from the Yankees and going back in that locker room and showing his face so he left. The Yankees offered him the most guaranteed money over Detroit’s offer and he passed on it insisting to himself he was still a 10 million + player which he later found out he wasn’t.
Ortiz will not take 6 million to come back to Boston. He’s not going to take a 50% pay cut because Matsui and Vlad made bad deals and had injury questions.
With the numbers he’s putting up he’ll expect the option to be picked up and when it isn’t, he’ll expect something close to the option.
When the Red Sox offer him 7 million, his pride will get in his way and they’ll part and he’ll take a 5-6 million deal to play in Oakland or something.
So Papi, who wants nothing more than to finish his career in Boston, would reject 7 million from the Sox but would accept 5 million from Oakland? That makes no sense.
When he rejects the pay cut from Boston, Theo will use that to sign a replacement DH in 2 seconds who he covets more. Like Dunn, for instance.
It’s a fake offer. It’s what the Yankees did to Damon. Once he rejected the pay cut they moved on to Nick Johnson and Damon was dead in NY.
If Ortiz tries to fight Theo for his perceived value to the team, Theo will sign another player and that will be that.
When Ortiz loses the Red Sox as a landing spot, his price diminishes.
Just look at what happened to DH’s this past off season. The writing is on the wall.
The Red Sox would have to offer Ortiz at least 9 million to get him to jump, but they won’t.
I think the Red Sox are ready to move on from him despite his comeback.
they will decline the option and he will sign a 2 year deal at 7.5M per which he deserves and the sox can well afford with an option 3rd year at around 5 so at the end of the day Papi can say he signed a 20M dollar 3 yr deal and the sox can save 5M next year and keep the heart of the team intact, as well as sending a message to our better players that if you want to be a Sox Player for life, if you keep your price reasonable we can make that happen, Lester. Pedroia and Youk did that and those are the best bargains in baseball right now.
I can’t see Ortiz getting any 2 year deal unless the 2nd season is strictly a team option and 6-7M tops for the per season amount and only that if he maintains his current 35HR 110RBI numbers it looks like he will put up at the end of the year. If he goes into another 3-4 week slide, its good bye.
I really hope Ortiz finishes his career in Boston. Just go year to year like Wakefield.
If he is going to want to stay in Boston he is going to have to ask for a smaller contract.
He will be the one making the decision
He will get an extension that reflects his value though Ortiz will probably not want to take such a decrease in his usual salary
As long as Derek is not in a Cubs uniform all will be slightly well.. Ramirez Zambrano and Soriano need to be sporting new unis too hopefully Lee and Ramirez are at the very least gone in two weeks
I predict that the Sox and Papi will agree to something like a 1 year contract for 7-8 million with a 2nd year team option with like a $1mil buyout?
I think the RS will sign two OF and rotate LH/RH DH’s from their OF corps. A lot depends on Ellsbury in ’11. If they intend to move him and go full-out for Crawford,Werth or both I think they will cut Ortiz loose. It would be a good time–for him– because he’ll have a 30+hr season and all-star status. If they do make Papi an offer it will likely be for Varitek money. I see him as strictly a LHDH if they retain him for a few years at 6mil or so. But I’d rather spend big money on position players than dh’s as the position is being devalued with the drugs out of the picture (supposedly).
Ells wouldn’t go anywhere considering he’s making chump change. They would let his stock rise and have him and Crawford tearing up the basepaths until Ellsbury gets closer to free agency.
I still don’t get why people think Ortiz is this arrogant and self-absorbed player. His last contract year he hit 54 HRs (Red Sox record), 134RBI, and hit .287 after hitting 40+ HRs for 3 straight years and leading the Sox to a championship in 04. Plus he was just 30 at the time. And instead of seeking big bucks he signs a very team friendly 4 years/52 mil with a club option. Why do you expect him to go for 10mil a year now when he knows he has declined and is now 34/35 (He’ll be 35 next season)?
He is well liked. His statements regarding PED’s were not appreciated by management.
I see the Red Sox either trading Beltre or watching him walk after this season, moving Youk to third while signing Dunn to a 4-5 year deal and starting him at 1B while Ortiz DH’s for 2 more years in Boston, as Dunn then moves to DH when Ortiz retires.
If Ortiz finishes with 30-35 homeruns, 100 rbi and an average around .260 then I certainly can’t picture the Sox brass not trying to give him some sort of deal to keep him here for a few more years
Umm..no, the Red Sox will NOT be starting Dunn @ 1B for 2 years. Dunn would be a solid option for DH (assuming he isn’t extended by the Nats or traded to someone who extends him) but that’s only if they don’t bring Papi back on a cheaper deal – which I think they will – AND if they don’t resign V-Mart, cuz if V-Mart gets extended he will most likely be doing some DHing next year as well. In other words, I really don’t see Youk moving over to 3rd unless we somehow are able to trade for A.Gonz, M.Cab or Fielder which is looking pretty unlikely.