Washed up. Cooked. Done. Finished.
Such terms were tossed around in connection with David Ortiz earlier this season, as some wondered whether the 39-year-old slugger had anything left to give the Boston Red Sox. Ortiz’s performance over the last couple of months has offered an affirmative response — yes, he has something left to give — and he’s about to secure at least one more season in Boston when his 2016 contract option vests.
Ortiz entered Thursday needing just 10 plate appearances to reach 425, at which point his 2016 option will become guaranteed at $11 million. The Red Sox almost certainly would exercise his $10 million club option even if Ortiz sat out the rest of the season, as he’s still an integral part of the organization, and he’s shown enough since June to suggest he’ll make an impact in 2016. But Ortiz takes pride in performing at a high level on the cusp of turning 40 and entering his 20th major league season.
“I earned it,” Ortiz told WEEI.com’s John Tomase after Wednesday’s game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. “That’s why I’m playing next year. Because I earned it.”
“That’s the way we pretty much agreed to do things,” Ortiz added, per Tomase, of his negotiations. “You know me, I get greedy when it comes down to performance. I want to put up numbers. I agreed to do it that way, because if I don’t put up numbers, what would be the reason to continue playing?”
Ortiz batted .219 with six homers, 21 RBIs and a .670 OPS over his first 52 games this season, but he’s rebounded in a huge way, silencing any doubt over whether he should be part of Boston’s plans moving forward. Ortiz ranks fifth in the majors with 15 home runs since June 11. He entered Thursday hitting .244 with 21 homers, 60 RBIs and an .806 OPS.
“You know how it is with myself,” Ortiz told Tomase. “Whenever I have a slow start, or things aren’t going my way, people start criticizing and saying things. But I guess that’s how it’s going to be. I can put up with that.
“I know what I’m capable of doing,” Ortiz continued. “Could we end up a different way? People always think when you talk about contracts you’re getting greedy about it, but I’m the guy that’s always carried this ballclub and put up numbers, you know what I’m saying?”
Ortiz’s 2016 salary could increase to as much as $16 million based on escalators related to plate appearances. His contract situation for 2017 is the same — Boston holds a $10 million club option, but Ortiz can play his way into a guaranteed option by staying on the field and producing.
Just the way he likes it.
“I try to stay in good shape. It’s all up in your mind. That’s what I say,” Ortiz told Tomase. “If you take care of yourself and do what you have to do, you can play at the age of 50. Just ask Julio Franco.”
It’s hard to imagine Ortiz lasting another decade. But you get the point.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
