Boston Red Sox and GM Ben Cherington Winning Hearts and Minds of Fans

The Red Sox and their fancy new GM Ben Cherington are slowly starting to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. With baseball’s winter meetings underway, the Red Sox made some definite strides in the right direction yesterday. No, it was not assurance that John Lackey will never return or news of a new major signing. But it now appears that both Andrew Miller and David Ortiz will be back, under favorable circumstances.

Let’ start with Miller, who was mostly lousy last year after some early promise. The guy went 6-3 with a 5.54 ERA, far from stellar. This guy had one of the most successful baseball careers possible up until the major league level, where he has shown very little.

That said, he’s got undoubtedly great stuff and is a left-handed arm. At the very least we’re looking at some lefty middle relief, and Miller should contend for a spot in the rotation throughout spring training. We wrapped him up for one year and $1 million, according to The Boston Globe, a contract I’d sign him to in a heartbeat. Solid move, Ben.

The real news, according to ESPN Deportes Los Angeles (h/t ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes) is it looks like my boy David Ortiz is on his way back to the Red Sox. After initially offering Ortiz a two-year deal worth $18 million (which he rejected as he should have), the Red Sox have now offered him arbitration which he must decide today if he’ll except.

It would likely bring Ortiz back for one season at around $15 million. Supposedly Ortiz would like a two-year, $25 million deal, which to be honest I’d give him. But it seems as though both sides are close, and I’m for anything we can do to get David back at $15 million a year or less.

So why is this so exciting to me? Obviously because of the offensive production and leadership that Ortiz brings, but also because of how this whole scenario went down. Bobby Valentine flew to the Dominican on Friday, surprising Ortiz at a charity golf event that he was hosting.

Said Ortiz, “That speaks to me. I’m impressed. That’s good stuff.” That’s exactly what Bobby Valentine needs to do. In winning over the hearts and minds of his players, he’s winning over us fans as well. A fantastic play by the Red Sox organization on this one.

So, why the hell would we want Ortiz back? I know that’s what I’ll hear in regards to this article. He’s a 36-year-old DH, limited shelf life, etc. We’ve been down this road before, and I’ll keep it as short and sweet as possible. Let’s take a look at David Ortiz, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez’s average season since Ortiz landed in Boston (2003-2011).

Albert Pujols
.326, 41 HR, 40 2B, 119 RBI

David Ortiz
.289, 36 HR, 39 2B, 114 RBI

Alex Rodriguez
.295, 37 HR, 27 2B, 113 RBI

Needless to say, Ortiz’s numbers during this stretch are on par with the two hitters considered the best of this generation. This also does not take into consideration his post season heroics, his breaking of an 86-year curse, and all of that. Not to mention the value that Ortiz has brought to his team over this period; he’s been paid $81.5 million, to Pujols’ $103.5 million, to A-Rod’s $241 million.

Yes, keeping him for another year or two should be a priority. High-fives all around to Ben Cherington and Bobby V.

Geoff Roberts is the Founder and Managing Editor of howiGit.com, a Boston sports blog.