MLB Free Agents 2012: Will David Ortiz Have Options Outside Boston?

There haven't been many constants in Boston in the last nine years, but David Ortiz has been one of them. Since joining the club in 2003, Big Papi has been a rock, winning two championships and establishing himself as one of the most beloved players in Red Sox history.

All Red Sox fans are already aware that the team's partnership with Ortiz could very well be over. He's a free agent, and since the 2011 season ended, he hasn't exactly sounded optimistic about coming back to the Red Sox.

Most notably, there was that disaster of an interview with ESPN in which Ortiz claimed that he would be open to the idea of signing with the New York Yankees, which is something Red Sox Nation would undoubtedly disapprove of.

Last week, Ortiz expressed frustration to WEEI.com about the lack of a contract offer from the Red Sox.

"I was expecting something would happen before (the exclusive negotiating period ran out on Nov. 3), but so many things are going on," he said. "I know everybody has priorities, and to be honest with you, I thought I was one of them."

No doubt Ortiz is a priority for the Red Sox and new general manager Ben Cherington, but Ortiz is correct in presuming that the club has bigger fish to fry. Finding a new manager is one of them.

When the Red Sox and Ortiz do sit down, Big Papi will reiterate that he wants a multi-year contract. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote on Sunday that Ortiz will be looking for a three-year deal and that the Red Sox won't be in a hurry to give him one.

Nor should they. Ortiz will be free to look outside Boston for contract offers, but he's likely going to find that his options are limited.

Ortiz's biggest problem is that he really only has value in the American League. A National League club could decide to make a play on him as a first baseman, but I find that to be a highly unlikely possibility given the amount of money said NL club would have to commit to Ortiz. Besides, I'm not certain he would want to play the field every day.

Assuming the market for Ortiz is limited to the American League, the issue is twofold. Firstly, which teams actually need a DH? Second, and more importantly, which teams can and will pay for Big Papi?

That narrows the list down considerably. Even if Ortiz doesn't get a three-year contract offer from another team, he is still going to demand an annual salary close to the $12.5 million he made in 2011. That's a lot of money for any player, let alone a DH.

You get the sense that this could indeed turn into a bidding war between the Yankees and Red Sox, and you have to admit that Big Papi would be a great fit for the new Yankee Stadium. If he played 81 games there every year, he would be an absolute terror.

Personally, though, I'm not so sure the Yankees would be all that willing to clog their DH spot seeing as how they're going to have to use it to accommodate Jesus Montero and a rapidly aging Alex Rodriguez. I wouldn't rule out the idea of them signing Ortiz, but I wonder how serious they would be in negotiations. If they actually get to that point, of course.

Ultimately, Boston may very well be Ortiz's only option, and he may have to settle for something less than the three-year deal he's coveting.  

If so, well, Red Sox Nation will be glad to have him back. It's just plain hard to picture the Sox without Big Papi.