Red Sox, Ortiz to talk deal next week
Serious conversations between the Boston Red Sox and free-agent designated hitter David Ortiz will begin "next week," a team source told ESPN.com.
Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington told reporters shortly after the season ended that retaining Ortiz was a priority.
"David is someone who we feel strongly about bringing back, and we're trying to figure out a way to do that and we hope that happens," Cherington said in New York.
The 36-year-old missed all but one of the team's final 72 games with a right Achilles strain. He told reporters last week in New York that he expects to begin his normal workout routine next month.
Ortiz batted .318 with 23 homers and 60 RBIs in 90 games. Last year, he accepted arbitration from the Red Sox, and eventually signed a one-year, $14.58 million contract.
