|
|
Post by jmei on Nov 2, 2012 22:13:19 GMT -5
Contract has incentives that can push the total value of the contract up to $30m.
I think it's a fair deal, although I wish the second year was partially non-guaranteed or triggered based on incentives. But the Red Sox have payroll space, a lack of a viable alternative, and Ortiz is a team legend, so I won't complain too much.
|
|
|
|
Post by soxfan06 on Nov 2, 2012 22:16:28 GMT -5
Good. Needed to get done after the past two seasons, the club couldn't let Ortiz walk.
Who cares if he makes $3M more than he should. Is it really going to change anything in the long run? At least we are committing the money to someone who has proven he can play here in Boston unlike some of the other stiffs we had to trade away.
|
|
|
|
Post by Oregon Norm on Nov 2, 2012 22:20:37 GMT -5
...and he was the team's best hitter last year... again. I'm with you, this is a good deal. Glad it's done.
|
|
|
|
Post by mredsox89 on Nov 2, 2012 22:34:04 GMT -5
Who cares if he's making $8 more than he "should"? It's not going to effect their ability to spend $ over the next 2 years given their distance from the luxury tax. He was the teams best hitter and is one of the more popular guys on the team for fans. A completely different situation from last year where they couldn't land Kuroda because they were $3M short
|
|
|
|
Post by marrcus on Nov 2, 2012 23:40:56 GMT -5
As long as he reports in shape to ST I feel they can get value for this contract..
Do I trust him? No.
That means really paying attention to what he's doing this winter with the heel and his weight.
|
|
|
|
Post by jdb on Nov 3, 2012 8:18:41 GMT -5
I'm not too worried about Ortiz staying in shape. I think his doctor got through to him that him being that big going forward wasn't healthy much less good for his career.
|
|
|
|
Post by sarasoxer on Nov 3, 2012 8:19:05 GMT -5
As long as he reports in shape to ST I feel they can get value for this contract.. Do I trust him? No. That means really paying attention to what he's doing this winter with the heel and his weight. In today's market if Papi hits .285 with 25-30 homers and 100 RBIs/year, he is worth the money IMO. I share your concern about his penchant for ingesting large quantities of black beans. Maybe it was the angle but in pics Papi already appears 'robust'. This particularly is a worry now that he has 2 years guaranteed and the team may not be a top contender during that time period. |
|
|
|
Post by raftsox on Nov 3, 2012 8:24:10 GMT -5
As long as he reports in shape to ST I feel they can get value for this contract.. Do I trust him? No. That means really paying attention to what he's doing this winter with the heel and his weight. What? Why wouldn't you trust him to come in in "good" shape? He's been in good shape for the past few seasons, there's no reason to assume that's going to change now. Do you define good shape as visible abs and vascularity? Because for an athlete that may not be the case. They're usually better served to be in the body fat range of 10-14%. |
|
|
|
Post by redsox04071318champs on Nov 3, 2012 8:32:44 GMT -5
David Ortiz had concerns about more than just weight - he was concerned about his cholesterol levels, and he totally modified his diet. I wouldn't be overly concerned about his shape. He is taking good care of himself. If he gets injured it won't be because he's out of shape. The deal was a good one for both the team and player, and it's great that David Ortiz will retire a Red Sox. Hopefully by 2014, the Sox will be playing some meaningful games in October and Ortiz will be able to leave the game getting more of those big clutch hits he got ten years earlier.
|
|
|
|
Post by elguapo on Nov 3, 2012 8:34:28 GMT -5
Welcome back, Big Papi!
Regarding his health, he's been on a long term favorable trajectory -- early in his career in the DR he was admittedly using any kind of supplements he heard would help his performance without worrying about what was in them. Now, over ten years later, he's a lean mean big-boppin' machine.
|
|
wcp3
Veteran
Posts: 3,814
|
Post by wcp3 on Nov 3, 2012 9:31:26 GMT -5
I'm not one for sentimentality signings (not that this was one - Ortiz is still the best DH in the game), but I thought it was important that the Red Sox made sure Ortiz finished his career in Boston. He's been the iconic figure during the team's best era since before the Depression.
This pretty much guarantees his number gets retired, no?
|
|
|
|
Post by sibbysisti on Nov 3, 2012 9:56:38 GMT -5
Not if he doesn't make the Hall of Fame. That's been the strict standard the team has always used with the notable exception of Johnny Pesky. And he was a special case.
|
|
|
|
Post by James Dunne on Nov 3, 2012 10:13:45 GMT -5
They'd probably unofficially retire his number though. No one has worn 21 since Clemens left, and nobody wore 14 between the time Rice retired and the time he got into the Hall.
With that in mind, Dwight Evans got the shaft.
|
|
|
|
Post by iakovos11 on Nov 3, 2012 10:24:53 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Nov 3, 2012 19:16:31 GMT -5
Since this got me interested, Sox numbers lower than 60 that aren't retired but haven't been used in the last couple years:
21 (Clemens)
38 (Schilling)
45 (Pedro)
|
|
|
|
Post by James Dunne on Nov 3, 2012 21:05:03 GMT -5
Knew about 45 as well. We're about three years from that number retirement ceremony. Hadn't thought about Schilling's 38. Between the off field stuff and his relatively short time in Boston, my guess is someone ends up with that number in the next few years.
I'm also wondering when/if 33 and 49 will go out.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pete Morrison on Nov 3, 2012 23:28:20 GMT -5
Deal is fair and makes sense for both sides. The Sox have to be aware that Ortiz can hit a performance cliff at any point given his age/health. The biggest concern I would have is the long term health of the achilles tendon. Of course even if it blows out, the Red Sox now have the breathing room to absorb dead money for a year and not worry about luxury tax implications or it limiting their maneuverability.
|
|
|
|
Post by sibbysisti on Nov 3, 2012 23:32:07 GMT -5
With the news about Pedro, this gives the Sox two ambassadors to the DR and Latin America to bolster their recruitment efforts in that area. This is assuming that Papi signs on after his retirement.
|
|
|
|
Post by bigpapismangosalsa on Nov 4, 2012 9:50:22 GMT -5
Very smart deal for both sides, agreed. Even with an assumption that Ortiz production trails off from his rate stats this season, still a valuable signing due to its short term commitment and upside potential.
Great point about the role of ambassador for Ortiz and Pedro to the Dominican, by the way. I would have to assume (though having never been) that those two are heroes down there and this cannot hurt with our relationships down in that area of the world.
|
|
|
|
Post by Chris Hatfield on Nov 5, 2012 16:16:01 GMT -5
Per Edes (http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/red-sox/post/_/id/23599/sources-ortiz-incentives-tied-to-achilles):
$1M signing bonus
$14M in 2013
$11M in 2014 which can escalate to $13M or $15M depending on how much time he misses in 2013 due to his Achilles
|
|
