Throughout this winter, I thought the 2012 contract for David Ortiz was simple. He wanted $16.5 million, and the Red Sox offered $12.65 million. Just split the difference and both sides could avoid arbitration.
And that's just what they did.
In the final hours before both sides were heading to the arbitration table, Ortiz and the Sox agreed to a one-year, $14.575 million deal. Papi was looking for a multi-year deal, but that didn't happen.
The Red Sox record of avoiding arbitration remains intact, as all nine players who were arbitration-eligible all reached deals with the club. The last Red Sox player that went to arbitration was the immortal Rolando Arrojo, a case the Red Sox won in 2002.