I don't know why it took this long but in the end, the Boston Red Sox and David Ortiz came to an agreement (through arbitration) that means he'll stick around in 2012.
There is very little that the franchise has done right since September but this move was so obvious. This isn't Jason Varitek or Tim Wakefield, Ortiz is still a valuable member of the team and not just a worn out relic from Boston's glorious past.
Ortiz will get a raise from the $12.5 million he made last season but he falls short of the two-year deal he desired. Sorry Big Papi, that's not happening when you're 36-years-old and your career could fall off a cliff at any point.
Boston has offered him a two-year deal worth $18 million and he figures to get $14 to $15 million in arbitration.
He's coming off a very nice bounce back season in 2011. The best DH in baseball hit .309 with 29 home runs, 96 RBIs with a .398 on base percentage and .554 slugging percentage. Over his nine years in Boston, Ortiz has batted .283 with 320 homers and 1028 RBIs.
More than anything, he's been the (mostly) friendly face of a franchise that went from a perennial loser to one of the top organizations in MLB. He is a seven-time All-Star and he has played 15 seasons in MLB between Minnesota and Boston.
In other arbitration news, reliever Dan Wheeler declined the Red Sox's offer. However, he could still be back on cheaper money if he doesn't get a better deal somewhere else.
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