BOSTON -- With a swing and a heart that both seem built for Fenway Park, David Ortiz can officially consider Boston his home for the foreseeable future.
The Red Sox delivered good news on the contract front Friday, announcing that they reached a two-year contract extension with the popular DH/first baseman, who has raised his game about three notches since coming to Boston for the start of the 2003 season.
The deal includes an option for a third year, which means Ortiz -- perhaps Boston's top clutch hitter the past two seasons -- could remain with the Red Sox through the 2007 season.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but according to reports, the two guaranteed years are worth a total of $12.5 million.
What does Ortiz like most about playing in Boston?
"The Green Monster," quipped the 28-year-old slugger.
While the Monster is the most obvious benefit to this left-handed hitter who has power to all fields, Ortiz was able to reflect on the deep impact the Red Sox atmosphere has had on him in a relatively short period of time.
"I love the fans here," said Ortiz. "It doesn't matter what time you walk onto the field down there, you have people screaming at you and wishing you the best. That puts you in a situation that you want to go up there and perform and do your best. You don't have the same feeling every day but as soon as you walk into Fenway, as soon as you drive into the parking lot, it doesn't matter what kind of problems you have in your mind, everything changes right away."
By knocking out this deal with Ortiz, the Red Sox were able to retain one of their seven potential free agents this offseason.
Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek, Derek Lowe, Scott Williamson and Pokey Reese all are in the final year of their contracts.
David Ortiz / DH
Born: 11/18/75
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 230 lbs
Bats: L / Throws: L
"We have a lot of great players on this ballclub that I would love to play with all the way through so I hope they take the same step that I take and stick around," Ortiz said. "This is a ballclub that needs those kind of players. Those are the players that are going to get a World Series for the ballclub."
One of those players, ace Martinez, was part of the initial marriage between Ortiz and the Sox. After Ortiz was released by the Twins in December of 2002, Martinez told general manager Theo Epstein that his friend would be a great fit in Boston. Martinez told Ortiz he would enjoy the experience.
In year one, things worked out better than anyone could have imagined. Ortiz belted 31 homers, drove in 101 runs, smacked 39 doubles and had a slugging percentage of .592. By helping the Sox to their first playoff appearance since 1999, Ortiz finished fifth in the American League MVP balloting.
"Pedro went to bat for David so to speak in the offseason before he came here and gave him the strongest possible endorsement, which made our decision to sign him a lot easier," said Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino.
And earlier this week, Martinez advised Ortiz to sign the extension, rather than test free agent waters.
"He told me he loved Boston. He told me he would love to end his career here in Boston. He told me that twice actually," Ortiz said. "He told me that right before I signed with this ballclub and he told me that a couple of days ago.
"I talked to him about what was going on and I was getting some advice from him and he told me, 'Hey look, I'm going to tell you what I feel like. The best move you can ever make is to sign with Boston and stick around with this ballclub. I recommend that you might want to stick around with this ballclub.'"
And so he will. Now the burning question from Red Sox fans is whether Martinez, Garciaparra and others will do the same.
Epstein will play a large role in how that all turns out.
"It takes common ground," Epstein said. "A lot of the players who are free agents have expressed their wishes not to talk during the season. If that's the case, we will absolutely adhere to their wishes."
Martinez is one of those players, as he announced on April 30 that he won't negotiate again with the team until the season ends.
Epstein certainly understood why Martinez and some of the other free agents might feel that way, and he sounded comfortable seeing how things play out in November.
"With the guys who remain unsigned, we're at a break in the process," Epstein said. "We're not done with that process yet. We're on a hiatus because they chose not to speak during the season and that's fine. We'll pick it up at the end of the year."
The GM spoke with enough players in the past few days to realize that the Ortiz signing won't create any jealousy or resentment from other corners in the clubhouse. In fact, Epstein believes that the complete opposite will take place.
"I was down in Tampa actually finishing up this deal with the club and it started to become obvious that we were on the doorstep of this, and universally everyone was happy for this guy," Epstein said. "They all know what kind of individual he is and what kind of teammate he is and how much this means to him. It's a slam dunk ... a good thing for David and for the organization. There was no envy. Just happiness for David."
Garciaparra, who worked out at Fenway Friday afternoon in his long trek back from an Achilles injury, certainly seemed happy for Ortiz.
"That's great," Garciaparra said. "Good for Ortiz. He's a wonderful player. I think the fans and the people of Boston, they absolutely love him. It's good that he signed and he's happy with where he's at."
Ortiz joins Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling, Keith Foulke and Johnny Damon as key players who are under contract for 2005 or beyond.
With Garciaparra and Trot Nixon out of the lineup with injuries, Ortiz has gotten off to a solid start this season, leading the team with 10 homers and 31 RBIs entering Friday night's game against the Blue Jays.
"W could not be happier that David is going to stay with the Red Sox for a long, long time," Epstein said. "I don't think anyone envisioned he would turn into one of the truly elite hitters in the league as quickly as he did. But we're glad he did."
As for Ortiz, he could hardly conceal his grin on a day that felt far removed from the day the Twins informed him he was no longer needed.
"Right now it's not all about the money," Ortiz said. "It's about the situation that you face and I guess you don't get all your happiness because of the money. You get your happiness because of who you have around you. I'm happy with the contract I have now. I can't ask for more than that. I'm going to be even happier now that I know that I'm going to stick around these guys, and this beautiful ballclub that we have here."
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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David Ortiz / DH
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