There's been a lot of change in Boston in the last year or so, but David Ortiz isn't going anywhere. The designated hitter known as Big Papi agreed to a two-year deal that will keep him with the Red Sox through 2014, the team announced today.
“He is an historic figure, a beloved hero, and an important player as we build our team for 2013 and beyond,” GM Ben Cherington said in a statement released by the team.
The deal is worth $26MM in total and includes a $14MM salary for 2013, an $11MM salary for 2014 and a $1MM signing bonus, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter links). The value of the second year can increase to $13MM or $15MM depending on how much time Ortiz misses in 2013. Ortiz will earn $15MM in 2014 if he misses 20 or fewer days on the disabled list due to his Achilles injury in 2013, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.
Ortiz, who turns 37 in just over two weeks, posted a .318/.415/.611 batting line in 383 plate appearances this past season. The Red Sox extended a qualifying offer worth $13.3MM to the SFX client last week. The move would have netted the club a compensatory draft pick if he signed elsewhere, but Ortiz will instead remain as a cornerstone of the Boston lineup.
The veteran ranked 13th on MLBTR's list of top 50 free agents this offseason and figured to have multiple suitors, including the Rangers. In ten seasons with the Red Sox, Ortiz has hit .290/.389/.573, earning eight All-Star selections along the way.
Rob Bradford of WEEI.com first reported news of the agreement. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) reported that the two sides were likely to strike a deal. Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
My dream of seeing Ortiz out of the AL East has been crush.
Here I was hoping the Angels got the opportunity to sign David and then we could use Kendrys Morales as trade bait. A contract at 2 yr potentially $30 million is too much for Ortiz in my opinion. Halos 13′ less go!
If the deal turns out to be $30M over 2, then he obviously hit whatever markers were in place to kick in the incentives… thereby making the contract a good value. He probably would have received a similar deal had he tested the rest of the AL market.
if morales can play 1B i would still want the red sox to look into picking him up as that is their weakest position right now.
Kendrys can definitely play first base. He’d be an under-the-radar pickup, given the Angels’ depth at first base, including Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo.
i wonder what the angels would want for him. probally for us to take wells haha.
I know there are haters but as a long time Sox fan, I am all in favor of this deal.
I love the Red Sox, and I love Ortiz, but I hate this deal. Let him contribute to the Rangers, see if he can win another championship, and give those at-bats to a prospect who needs the experience.
Ortiz can help draw quite a few fans still.
I forgot the Red Sox farm system is so rich that they can’t find room for prospects in their holes in LF, RF, 3B (Middlebrooks is still a prospect in my eyes), SS, 1B, and C
What team has 6 major league ready prospects at the specific positions the team needs filled???
As an Angels fan, I’m happy for the red sox (WTF) after last year they need something like this. Many long years of rebuilding ahead for them. Good luck guys.
Many long years? You got to be kidding me.
Out of curiosity, how many “long years” are you talking about? I think at most next year may be a bridge year but I still think that they will be a .500 team or better in 2013.
Totally, sox fans. winning is easy, you’ll be back at it no time. its not like you playone of the most competitive divisions in baseball.
Winning is not easy bit offensivley the only real contributor we lost from our great offense was A-Gon. So a healthy season of Ells and another bat should more than compensate. Shore up the pitching and who knows we might be challenging next season.
I’m sure you also foresaw the Orioles competing in the most competitive division in baseballin 2012.
Had to happen. When healthy, he’s shown he has plenty left in the tank. We have the money for it, and this establishes a great potential for a post-retirement long-term relationship. Between Ortiz and Pedro, the Sox have some great advocates in the DR.
Also, now Cody Ross plz?
2/26m can live with, agreed and hopefully the incentives for the extra 4m are for him to make a considerable amount of PA.. As in 550+ each year.
Yeah.. Ross does need to be next, then see if Sanchez will sign with them. Forget about the rest pretty much.
I think it’s a fair deal, he should also help draw fans still, because he was a big part of ws teams. He is important for them.
Sox could’ve and should’ve played hard ball with him. Made him a qualifying offer, driving down what other teams would pay for having to forfeit a pick.
Most they should’ve went on a two year deal was $21M, or one year guaranteeing $16M with option (one yr at $14M, option at $13M with $2M buyout)
Should not have played hardball and they did the right thing. Like it or not, he’s the face of what the Red Sox have done and will continue to do going forward. Everyone else is gone.
Nostalgia does not win championships.
Didn’t realize that we were chalking the Red Sox up as champions next year…
Why? Hes been a great player for them for a while now. They can afford to pay him even if they are overpaying a little bit. They have plenty of room to work with money wise.
No, playing hardball makes this a long drawn out process which just adds fuel to the fire that has been the Red Sox last 18 months. Get a deal done and reward the face of the franchise for dealing with 1 year contracts every year. This was a move for stability
A little rich, but the right thing to do. He’s had his “cranky” moments, but is really the face of the franchise. There’s value to that.
Papi put up with two seasons of hardball and stayed because this is where he loves to play, so this slight overpay is well deserved. Very happy Papi is sticking around.
very happy they finished this quickly. seems like the front office is making decisions much more quickly than they did offseason where everything seemed to happen in january. next on the list resign ross and sign anibel sanchez. I also wouldnt mind seeing them pick up some 1 year deal guys (Victorino, Haren, Stephen Drew,ect) that are looking to build up their value again.
Great Move, a priority for the Sox. Great to get it done early so they can focus on the pitching staff
I’m sorry…. I love Papi, but 13 mil is nowhere near what we should pay for him. He is 37, used performance enhancing drugs, and has also been a clutch player in bean town. Look at Raul Ibanez, a DH, was clutch all year and made 1 million bucks. Vlad Guerrero, who has similar number to Papi at the same age made one-third of that as a DH his last couple years with Baltimore and Texas. That is way too much to throw away. Bad PR move Sox… Go get Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli….
Ortiz is better and more productive than them. The PED thing is done and gone. He’s proved since he can continue hitting at a high level.
I wish I could give the Josh Hamilton and Napoli part more votes down. Hamilton wants to get paid $25mill until hes in his late 30s. That is a ridiculous overpay. In a few years he probably will end up being a dh anyway.
Glad this was done before 11/7. At least I’ll get one right.
It’s only money, which the Red Sox have to spend. I don’t see this as all that much different than the Yankee’s deal with Jeter two years back.
It’s not. Sometimes you have to over pay and on a short deal with almost nothing committed to the future, this is a no brainer.
Glad to see this has happened. David Ortiz is still the embodiment of the series where the Red Sox broke the curse of the Bambino. He absolutely is a threat every single time he walks to the plate. He is the best DH in baseball and if healthy is a mainstay in the middle of the Red Sox batting order. Great job getting this done early. Big Papi will enjoy the multi year deal and the pay check. So that should keep him happy for a while.
2/26 is FINE and I have been preaching a 2 year deal for Papi for quite some time, but I’m a little surprised/concerned that the possible 4 million in incentives are based solely on time spent on the DL due to the Achilles injury alone. All he has to do to make 15mil in 2014 is not miss more than 20 games this season JUST for the Achilles injury? That seems a little generous to me. I would have preferred that to be time spent on the DL for ANY reason or something based on plate appearances would have been even better..but, oh well. I’m glad he’s back and it’s time to move on and focus on other needs.