He arrived in Boston as a 27-year-old free agent who had thrived in a platoon role in Minnesota. He was young, talented and hungry for bigger things. In Boston, he found them.
Seven seasons, 259 home runs and 830 runs batted in later, we've almost learned to take Big Papi's presence for granted. He's always been the reliable designated hitter, the RBI machine, and the team's de facto Mr. Clutch (if you believe in that sort of thing). It's so easy to forget how productive he's been for the better part of this decade — in a city like Boston, mired among dozens of other sports stars, he blends right in.
But sometimes, you don't know what you've got until it's gone.
This is a contract year for Big Papi. The Sox slugger signed a four-year contract extension early in the 2006 season — Papi was 30 years old, in the prime of his career and in the midst of a titanic season that would yield 54 home runs, still an all-time, single-season Red Sox record. The Sox were eager to lock down more years like that — and, you could perhaps argue, they overpaid a little. They gave him $12.5 million a year until 2010. Now he's 34 and he's slipped a little.
The last year of Papi's contract will be interesting. He's coming off a season in which he slumped mightily in the first two months, dealt with a lot of strife off the field and weathered a cloud of steroid controversy. He's got to prove he can be the Papi of old again.
The Sox designated hitter also has a fifth year in his contract — he's got a club option for 2011 that carries a $12.5 million salary and no buyout. In other words, if the Sox decide to cut ties with their longtime DH, they can do it for free. A clean break from an aging, expensive player.
All the pressure's on Papi. He knows it and the Sox know it — $12.5 million is a ton of money for someone who doesn't field, hardly runs the bases and has seen his batting average slip nearly 100 points in two seasons. If Papi wants to break the Red Sox' bank again in 2011, he's really got to show them he's worth it. Otherwise, he'll be just another power-hitting free agent.
The Sox are hoping Papi has a big year when it matters most. But they don't know what they're going to get.
"David's a big … I don't want to say question mark, but when he hits, we're a different team," manager Terry Francona told NESN insider Gordon Edes this week. "When you have a guy who is a full-time DH, he has to hit. He's kind of the rock in our lineup."
He has to hit.
It's really that simple. He's got to be the 2007 Papi, not the 2009 one — his future depends on it. Which guy are we going to get? The one who hits over .300, cranks out over 30 homers and 100 RBIs, stays healthy and stays free from distractions? Or the Bad Papi — a two-month homerless streak, a scandal and a .238 average? It's hard to say. It depends on his physical condition, his concentration and his focus. And maybe a little bit of luck, too.
All season long, Ortiz will go about his work knowing that $12.5 million hangs in the balance. That's a lot of money. But more than just that, it's the loyalty of a team that's meant everything to him for the last seven years. He'll want to stick around for one more.
