David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox Avoid Abritration: Best-Case Scenario for Ortiz, Sox

ESPN's Buster Olney reported this morning that the Boston Red Sox and DH David Ortiz avoided their arbitration meeting, scheduled for later today, by agreeing to a one-year, $14.575 million contract. Ortiz had asked for $16.5 million in arbitration and Boston countered with a $12.65 million offer, making his new deal the midpoint of the two sides. The contract makes Ortiz the highest-paid (average annual value) DH in history. 

Ortiz, 36, has played the last nine seasons with the Red Sox and will make it an even 10 after this season. In 2011, Ortiz played in 146 games for Boston, hitting .309/.398/.554 with 29 home runs and 96 RBI. In his career with the Red Sox he's been an All-Star seven times, including the past two seasons, a Silver Slugger five times and also finished in the top five of the MVP voting five times.

Avoiding arbitration was the best-case scenario for the Red Sox and Ortiz as they both get what they want. Boston doesn't have to pay $16.5 million to Ortiz and they also don't have to tell him why he isn't worth it. Ortiz doesn't get the amount he submitted but it is more than Boston was willing to pay him for the 2012 season.

Overall, Boston saves at least $1.925 million in this new deal which gives them that much more to spend on a free-agent pitcher to hopefully fill the voids in their starting rotation. Roy Oswalt remains the best target among starters left on the market. 

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote yesterday of the contract that Boston offered to Oswalt. Oswalt is very reluctant to pitch for the Red Sox for some crazy reason and it doesn't even seem to be the money. Boston offered him a contract somewhere between $5-7 million for a one-year deal and he's basically just sat on it. 

Boston's current rotation features Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, possibly Daniel Bard and then whoever pitches best in the spring training tryout among several veteran pitchers. Boston can guarantee Oswalt a spot in the rotation, something that other teams interested in him may not be able to do.

Maybe an extra $1.925 million added to a contract offer would sway Oswalt to Boston in 2012.