Boston Red Sox Pick Up David Ortiz’s Option, Because Why Not?
By Tim Haberin
The Boston Red Sox picked up the 2017 club option on retiring star David Ortiz… just in case. The slugger is coming off an amazing farewell season.
The Boston Red Sox announced a few roster moves on Thursday, one of which likely caught the eyes of most fans:
“As a formality, the club also exercised its 2017 contract option on designated hitter David Ortiz, who is still expected to retire this offseason.”
Now, it makes perfect sense why the team would do this. The extension that Ortiz signed prior to the 2014 season included team options for 2016 and 2017, the last of which would pay him $17.2 million. There has been no indication that Big Papi is having second thoughts about his desire to conclude his playing career, as he has repeatedly told the media throughout the year.
But if Ortiz did decide to pull a Roger Clemens or a Brett Favre, picking up his option ensures that he would be under contract with the Red Sox for 2017. And you can’t blame Boston for holding out at least a little hope, no matter how tiny, that he has a change of heart. Especially after the kind of season he just had.
A player smack dab in the middle of their prime would kill for the year Ortiz put up at age 40. He slashed a ferocious .315/.401/.620 with 38 home runs and an AL-leading 127 RBI. His .620 slugging percentage and 1.021 OPS were tops between both leagues. And perhaps most impressively, he swatted an MLB-leading 48 doubles, his highest total since 2007 (52).
That eye-popping performance didn’t translate into a fourth World Series championship, however. The Red Sox were rather unceremoniously swept in three games by the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS.
Coming off a season like that, even at Ortiz’s age, you would think retirement would be far from his mind. There is no doubt that he is still one of the top sluggers in the game today. But as he explained earlier this year, even though his numbers are as great as ever, the physical toll of playing so many games per season has only grown. Back in June, he said he experienced such excruciating pain in his feet that he once considered removing himself from a game after running out a double.
So you can hardly blame Papi for doing what is best for him from a health standpoint. And besides, who would want to deal with the logistics of returning all those farewell tour gifts?
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After 20 major league seasons, 14 of them in Boston, Ortiz will go down as one of the best hitters in Red Sox history. He boasts a career .286/.380/.552 slash line to go with 541 homers and 1,768 RBI. Unless he suddenly tells us otherwise, his playing days are over. Consider Thursday’s “formality” one more small display of reverence toward the franchise legend, and perhaps a reminder of just how difficult it will be to replace his production in next year’s lineup.