Buster Olney of ESPN is reporting that David Ortiz and the Red Sox have reached an agreement and will not need the arbitration hearing set for today. The deal is said to be for $14.575M, the exact mid-point between the $16.5M Ortiz had filed for and the team’s $12.65M filing. If this report is true, GM Ben Cherington has managed to avoid arbitration entirely this off-season. During Theo Epstein’s run as GM the team did not go to arbitration often and Cherington is carrying on that tradition. The fact that they reached a deal this late is likely an indication that neither side was confident in their ability to win this case. Ortiz had a number of important statistics in his favor, but his age and position (or lack thereof) were against him. Boston avoids the possibility of paying the full $16.5M with this deal. They also avoid the possibility of putting a strain on their relationship with Ortiz by arguing against him in arbitration.
Original Story:
