If David Ortiz's unbelievable start to the season isn't enough to change his mind on retiring, perhaps the Red Sox may give him 25 million reasons to do so.
Big Papi is on fire in his final MLB season before retirement. He might want to re-think his stance after announcing his retirement prior to the season.
Ortiz, 40, leads the MLB with a .674 slugging percentage and a 1.069 OPS, while ranking second with 34 RBIs and 16 doubles entering Wednesday. He's also fourth in the American League with 89 total bases.
Though he insists he's happy with his decision to retire and will continue down that path despite his sizzling start, the Red Sox may be able to make Ortiz think twice if they offer him $25 million to come back and play next year.
"Hopefully," Ortiz told Yahoo Sports, "nobody comes to me and offers $25 million, either."
The slugger then elaborated on what he meant.
"I don't even want to talk about it," Ortiz said. "Like I said, I'm good with the decision that I made right now. But would you leave $25 million on the table? I don't want nobody to offer me that."
Boston just may offer Ortiz that kind of money if he continues to rake at the pace he has thus far. The designated hitter owns a .311 batting average and has slugged 10 homers thus far this season, putting him at 513 for his career.
Thanks to Ortiz's production in the middle of a solid lineup, the Red Sox enter Wednesday with a 24-15 record and in a virtual tie with the Orioles (23-14) for first place in the AL East.
While it's hard to envision Ortiz walking away from a potential $25 million offer, he has been adamant that he wants 2016 to be his final season. After 20 years in the big leagues, Ortiz said he feels "like s--t" every time after he travels, despite how good of a hitter he has been.
"I'm happy with the decision that I made," he said, "and my feet are happy with the decision that I made, and my wife is happy with the decision that I made. I've got to wait until next year when I ain't doing s--t to see how it's gonna hit home. Because I'm not gonna lie to you. I don't know. I think I played enough baseball."
"Enough baseball" includes three World Series titles, nine All-Star Game appearances and the 22nd slot on MLB's all-time home runs list.
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