The slugger pledged to be part of a rebuilding process that is already under way.
Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz will call Fenway Park home for the 2013 and 2014 seasons after his new two-year contract was officially announced Monday.BOSTON – A year ago, David Ortiz bitterly accepted a one-year deal from the Boston Red Sox and said he felt disrespected.
That was replaced by what appeared to be a genuine bond between the player and his team Monday, when the Red Sox announced Ortiz had been signed to a new two-year contract.
"It's an honor to be back in the organization. I want to thank the ownership for approaching me early and letting me know they wanted me back,'' Ortiz said.
"It got me more confident, going into the offseason knowing I would be back with the Red Sox.
"Our negotiation this year was easier than ever. It wasn't even going back and forth.''
The deal has been known since Friday, when the sides came to an agreement only hours before Ortiz became a free agent.
Terms were not announced at Monday's Fenway Park press conference. By all reports, Ortiz will receive $26 million, with incentives making it possible to bump it up to about $30 million.
For half of the 2012 season, Ortiz looked like his old self. He hit 23 home runs and batted .318.
An Achilles strain sidelined him for all but one of the final 72 games. He finished with 60 RBIs.
The injury raised questions of whether Ortiz's age (37 in November) and body were worth a two-year risk. General manager Ben Cherington said the club had no such doubts.
"Our benefit is that we know David so well. We know how hard he's going to work,'' Cherington said.
"It's not a concern moving forward any more than with any other player. We looked at the body of work, and David has not only been incredibly productive, but durable.''
Ortiz said the fans were never far from his thoughts.
"We have the greatest fans of all time here. You don't feel 100 percent to play every day, but there's no question when you walk into Fenway Park, you want to go out and make something happen,'' he said.
Ortiz said he wanted to be part of the club's rebuilding process. He diplomatically said the decisions on how to complete the process belonged to the front office, not the players.
"I am a player who gets prepared, and I like to win. My season is never really over,'' Ortiz said.
"I like to win. In my career, I've seen the harder you work, the payoff will show up at some point.''
He will be nearly 39 when this contract expires. He said he is giving no thought to whether this deal will be his last.
"My focus is to provide what I can for the next couple of years. I know I'm a force in this organization and this ballclub.''
Cherington can now add the Ortiz signing to the accomplishment of hiring John Farrell as manager.
"We had a number of things to do this offseason, but the most important one was to get David signed,'' the GM said.
"He has been a great leader and he has represented our team in every way we could want. We're thrilled.''
Ortiz said, for the most part, his body feels stronger than in it has in years. The Achilles injury is healing, he said.
"I'm moving forward pretty good. I have already started doing leg exercises, feeling pretty good,'' he said.
Ortiz has played 10 years in Boston. He has been an All-Star in eight of them, has 401 career homers and his Hall of Fame case has been picking up steam.
A colossal salary dump in August, when Boston passed on $260 million in contract value to the Los Angeles Dodgers, made it easier for the Red Sox to give Ortiz a bit more than the market would have likely dictated.
It probably also played some role in the ease with which the club could accept the two-year contract it balked at last year.
But that was not a driving issue, nor was the perception that the club needed a popular veteran star to offset public disenchantment with the team in general.
Foremost to the team's thinking was that Ortiz's strong 2012 season convinced the Red Sox he had a lot of pop left. With the injury apparently healing, the bigger risk was not to sign him.
"I don't think there would have been any question we wanted David back, no matter what the roster looked like,'' Cherington said.
Ortiz did not flatly rule out playing in the World Baseball Classic next season, but indicated it was highly unlikely.
The two-year deal that eluded Ortiz last year came much more smoothly this time.
"We are trying to build something. We want David to be part of it, and we don't need to have this conversation again next year,'' Cherington said.
Ortiz made light of his age. Birth certificates of Caribbean players have sometimes come under dispute.
"I'm from the Dominican, you know. Next year, I might show up and be 30,'' he said as he shared a laugh with media.