David Ortiz has become the Big Wait.
Wait, wait, and wait some more.
Wait for the time when he turns back into David Ortiz, who from 2003-07 was one of the most feared hitters in baseball. Is the answer as simple as recovering from the partially torn sheath in his wrist that damaged his 2008 season? Is it as simple as his knee feeling better, his shoulder? Is it all health-related?
For weeks, the questions have been asked. And there have been no answers.
In an interview last week, Ortiz said that, physically, he's "better than ever," but he also hinted at a personal issue.
"People don't know," Ortiz said. "Sometimes they think we just come here to play baseball and that's it. We're human beings like everyone else. We have things to worry about.
"Sometimes that gets in the way. It's hard to have that free open mind you need to play this game. There's no way you can play this game with a busy mind. No way."
It has reached the point where, with Kevin Youkilis out with an oblique strain, Red Sox scouts are doing their due diligence in looking at other hitters.
According to other teams' scouts, the Sox have been watching Washington first baseman Nick Johnson, who has battled some injuries himself but has become one of the Nationals' top hitters. He is Boston's kind of hitter - a guy with a very good on-base percentage - and he's in the final year of a three-year deal, earning $5.5 million. But the Nationals would want pitching prospects in a trade, and the Sox guard those like gold.
There has been talk among scouts that the Indians might be willing to deal 29-year-old catcher/first baseman/DH Victor Martinez for young pitching. Martinez, who earns $5.7 million this season and $7 million in his option season next year, is hitting .409 with 7 homers and 25 RBIs.
Another option, though less likely, would be Colorado's Todd Helton, who has always indicated that he'd OK a deal to Boston. But Helton is very expensive, earning $16.6 million this year and next and $19.1 million in 2011.
In a perfect world, Ortiz would snap out of it and become the force he's always been. All around baseball, there are general managers, scouts, and players who wonder what is going on.
But players can lose it all of a sudden. It happens to the best of them. Jim Rice's production dropped precipitously at age 34, though he was able to hang on until 36. You also have players like Morgan Ensberg, who hit 36 homers and knocked in 101 runs for Houston in 2005, dropped to 23 homers and 58 RBIs the following year, then fell off the face of the Earth.