Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington spoke to reporters Thursday, according to ESPN.com, and said that talks have already begun with both Ortiz and his agent.
"I've actually traded messages with David but I've spoken with his agent a couple times," Cherington said, according to the website. "I think with David, I think it's in some ways a little bit more clear in terms of what his market could be. It's a little easier to have the conversations earlier in the offseason and start to get into what we might be able to do, so we're starting to do that. I still don't know when there will be a resolution, but there's been more dialogue because I think it's a little bit easier to frame what the market [for a deisgnated hitter] probably is."
