After discovering that the market for his services isn't nearly as strong as he had hoped, free agent designated hitter will reportedly accept an arbitration offer from the Boston Red Sox, according to Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald, who confirmed the report.
Ortiz, 36, is coming off a very strong 2011 season where he posted a .309/.398/.554 line for the Red Sox, hitting 29 home runs in 146 games. He was among the best hitter's in the American League despite his advancing age, but saw his market get crushed by the existence of the draft pick compensation associated to signing him.
Joe McDonald of ESPN Boston reported earlier today that Boston had offered Ortiz a two-year, $18 million contract, but it appears that Ortiz would prefer the one year pact at a higher salary that he'll receive by accepting an arbitration offer. By doing so, he'll receive a slight raise upon his $12.5 million salary from last season.
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