“I feel happy since I avoided going to arbitration,’’ he told the Associated Press. “People are used to seeing me with the Red Sox uniform and when you have so much time in one organization, and you’re identified with it, the best thing is to stay, even if it is for $1 or $2 million less.’’
Why the midpoint couldn’t have been reached earlier, which would have avoided expensive outside arbitration firms to prepare their respective cases, had both sides shrugging their shoulders.
“There’s a process and we followed the process,’’ Ortiz’s agent, Fernando Cuza said. “Both sides are happy. We were able to sit down and work it out and we feel that’s the best thing.’’
Asked about trying to get a two-year agreement, Cuza said, “There’s no other comments. We felt very strong about our case and they obviously about theirs, and there’s always risk in going.’’
Both sides had compelling cases. Win or lose it would have been the largest arbitration salary ever awarded. In many respects, there would be no losers, except for the negativity stemming from the hearing. And that’s vastly overrated.
You often hear how the player could have his feelings hurt, but so what? He asked for the process by accepting arbitration. It’s not often a player of Ortiz’s service time accepts this process, but he did so in this correspondent’s opinion for two reasons: Ortiz wants to finish his career in Boston and who but the Red Sox would have paid him even what he earned last season on a one-year deal?
The Sox were very confident in their case and Cuza had the same feeling about Ortiz, but both sides were afraid to go through with it. The Sox would have argued that Ortiz’s production should be compared with designated hitters. Ortiz would have argued, and rightly so, he was at least close to the production of first basemen Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, and Albert Pujols. Not $23 million worth per season, but $16.5 million, or one dollar above the $14.575 midpoint? He could have made that case.
