NorthKorea
Bench Warmer
Well, it's looking like they'll be paying a 40-yr-old David Ortiz $16mm for a .220-.240 BA & .675-.750 OPS in 2016.
Some might be tempted to point out his "bounce back" year in 2010, since he averaged just a hair (1 HR in aggregate) 30 HR per season from 2010-2014. That said, he wasn't 40 to start the 2010 season.
If Ortiz finishes this year with 15 HR, he will need 19 to reach the career milestone of 500 HR for his career. If he can get to 20 HR this season, it becomes a much more manageable 14 HR. Either way, I can't imagine the Red Sox paying a 41-yr-old Ortiz $14mm+ for .220/.300/.350 production at DH in 2017, so I don't see his option being renewed in 2017.
Ortiz claims he wants to finish his career as a member of the Red Sox, and that choice is entirely in his hands. Personally, I see the Red Sox offering Ortiz $5mm for 2017, and Ortiz saying he's "insulted" and choosing to play for whatever team offers him anything.
Now, given the connections to the Mitchell Report and Ortiz's "vow" to find out how he ended up on the report, will 500 HR be enough? Does his status as a true "career-DH" cement the door to Cooperstown shut in his face? I don't know. It seems writers and Red Sox fans, alike, focus on ARod's history with steroids and give Ortiz a free-pass of sorts.
Now, if Ortiz turns things around (perhaps with some orange juice), maybe he can still finish the season with a respectable .250/30 HR line. Then again, probably not.
Some might be tempted to point out his "bounce back" year in 2010, since he averaged just a hair (1 HR in aggregate) 30 HR per season from 2010-2014. That said, he wasn't 40 to start the 2010 season.
If Ortiz finishes this year with 15 HR, he will need 19 to reach the career milestone of 500 HR for his career. If he can get to 20 HR this season, it becomes a much more manageable 14 HR. Either way, I can't imagine the Red Sox paying a 41-yr-old Ortiz $14mm+ for .220/.300/.350 production at DH in 2017, so I don't see his option being renewed in 2017.
Ortiz claims he wants to finish his career as a member of the Red Sox, and that choice is entirely in his hands. Personally, I see the Red Sox offering Ortiz $5mm for 2017, and Ortiz saying he's "insulted" and choosing to play for whatever team offers him anything.
Now, given the connections to the Mitchell Report and Ortiz's "vow" to find out how he ended up on the report, will 500 HR be enough? Does his status as a true "career-DH" cement the door to Cooperstown shut in his face? I don't know. It seems writers and Red Sox fans, alike, focus on ARod's history with steroids and give Ortiz a free-pass of sorts.
Now, if Ortiz turns things around (perhaps with some orange juice), maybe he can still finish the season with a respectable .250/30 HR line. Then again, probably not.
