Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, who will be a free agent after this season, has a message for anybody who is criticizing his desire for a contract extension.
“I don’t even know why they’re [complaining] about me talking about contracts,” Ortiz told the Boston Herald on Tuesday. “Guys putting up my numbers, they’re making $25, $30 million. I’m not asking for that. I’m asking for half of it. And they’re still bitching about it? [Expletive] them. I’m tired of of hearing them talk [expletive] about me when I talk about my contract. Hey, every time I talk about my contract, I earn it, [expletive]. So don’t be giving me that [expletive].”
The 38-year-old Ortiz is coming off a superb season in which he hit .309 with 30 homers and 103 RBIs. He then hit an astonishing .688 in the World Series with two homers and six RBIs, earning MVP honors and his third ring with the Red Sox.
During the offseason, Ortiz talked about playing past his current contract, saying that he wants a one-year extension, and that he would finish his career outside of Boston if he had to.
Even though Ortiz’s age is advancing and his contract situation beyond 2014 is unclear, he said he has no intentions of retiring any time soon.
“I just want people to stop talking to me about that,” he said. “When you put up numbers like I’m putting up, who’s thinking about retiring, know what I’m saying? People keep on asking me, how long do you want to play? When are you going to retire? Dude, look at my numbers. I ain’t planning on retiring right now. When I slow down, then I’ll retire.”
Ortiz continued to rip into his critics.
“The bottom line is, people like that, you just don’t pay attention to them,” he said. “It’s a small group, and yeah, they’re the ones who like to bring negativity and talk trash, but nobody knows what it takes for a guy like me to do what I do.