Boston Red Sox avoid arbitration with slugger David Ortiz – MLB News
The Boston Red Sox have kept their clean record of avoiding salary arbitration with their Major League players as they recently agreed on a mutual understanding with start slugger David Ortiz and with his agent to a one year $14.575 million deal.
Ortiz is quite pleased over his late agreement and told the reporters after signing the deal that it will help his career.
"I feel happy since I avoided going to arbitration," he said on Monday, hours before the hearing had been scheduled to start in St. Petersburg, Fla. "People are used to seeing me with the Red Sox uniform and when you have so much time in one organization, and you're identified with it, the best thing is to stay, even if it is for $1 or $2 million less."
Later, the Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said in the media describing a Ortiz’s signing a good development, "It's just one of those things that when we all had everyone in the room together, it just made sense that we would get to the midpoint and get it done."
Former Minnesota Twins’ player and long time veteran slugger, Ortiz, initially filed for free agency, but lately he was given a one year $14.575 million offer that he accepted leaving many other teams empty handed.
Reports suggest that many Major League teams have also offered him deals but eventually Ortiz made the right decision and decided not to go anywhere else except resume his career with the team where he has been playing for the last seven years.
Ortiz is a good player having achieved career .283 hitting average along with 378 home-runs, 1266 RBIs and .378 OBP. While last year he also performed wonderfully and batted with an average of .309 with 29 homers, 96 RBIs and .398 OBP.
His recent signing with the Red Sox is a beneficial factor for the entire roster. First his presence will be a great morale booster for all junior players and secondly he will work in the Red Sox franchise as backup slugger who can be utilised in difficult situations next season.
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