Red Sox will continue to discuss a contract extension with David Ortiz throughout the season

David Ortiz may be 38 years old, but he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down yet. He is coming off of a season in which he posted a .959 OPS and unfathomably productive during the post-season when he helped the Red Sox win the World Series. Ortiz is also eligible for free agency after the 2014 season. Representatives of the Red Sox have been talking with Ortiz and his agent Fern Cuza of Relativity Baseball about an extension.

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington, appearing on The Hot Stove Show on Thursday, said he expects the organization to continue speaking with Ortiz about his contract situation throughout the season. Via WEEI:

“Probably so,” Cherington said when asked if talks with Ortiz and his agent, Fern Cuza, will be taking place in the coming months. “I can say that because I think there’€™s always dialogue with David and with Fern. That’€™s important to me. It’€™s important to ownership. It’€™s important to the organization to have open dialogue with our key players and David is certainly one of those. We’ve talked this winter.”

Ortiz signed a two-year, $26 million deal with the Red Sox in November 2012. The contract stipulated a salary of $11 million for 2014, but escalated to $15 million when Ortiz was able to avoid the DL with the Achilles tendon injury that caused him to miss two and a half months between mid-July and the end of the regular season in 2012. Ortiz’s next contract, which could also be his last, is likely to include some slightly more stringent incentives.

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