There is no love lost between David Ortiz and Bobby Valentine.
As Ortiz made his new two-year, $26 million contract with the Red Sox official yesterday, he took a shot at the tempestuous manager from last year’s squad, who threw Ortiz under the bus for supposedly quitting near the end of the dreadful season.
Ortiz told ESPNDeportes.com that Valentine “must have some mental issues or needs medicine or something” after the former Mets skipper sent him a text message trying to clarify comments he made to Bob Costas on NBC Sports Network.
“After he went on national TV to say what he said, he sent me a text message trying to tell me that it was the media trying to change things,” Ortiz said. “I did not respond to the message and I said to myself, ‘This guy must have some mental issues or needs medicine or something?’ I said, ‘I am dealing with someone crazy and I am not going to drive myself crazy, so it is better if I leave it alone.’ ”
Valentine was fired after the Red Sox went 69-93 and missed the playoffs for the third straight year. He was replaced by John Farrell.
Ortiz went down with an Achilles injury on July 16, and played just one game the rest of the season. Ortiz made his brief return to the lineup on Aug. 24. The next day, the team traded Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to the Dodgers. By Aug. 27, Ortiz was back on the disabled list and shut down for the season.
“He realized that this trade meant that we’re not going to run this race and we’re not even going to finish the race properly and he decided not to play anymore,” Valentine told Costas. “I think at that time it was all downhill from there.”
Ortiz responded, “Stopping me [from playing] was the decision of the doctors, management, the manager and me. The team doctor recommended that I stop playing to not make the situation worse for the tendon.
“I am a player that has the game in his blood,” Ortiz said. “In the 10 years that I have (been) in Boston, I have been the soul of the organization and there has never been a second where David Ortiz being able to go on the field and do what he does has decided to stay seated.”
Ortiz, who will turn 37 on Nov. 18, hit .318 with 23 homers and 60 RBIs over 90 games last season. A source told MLB.com that his new pact could reach $30 million with performance bonuses.