Calling David Ortiz the "face of the franchise," the Red Sox give the popular slugger a $52-million extension that will keep him in a Boston uniform through 2010.

01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, April 11, 2006

BY ART MARTONE
Journal Sports Editor

A glance at the table -- where David Ortiz was surrounded by John Henry, Tom Werner, Theo Epstein and Larry Lucchino, the guys who run the show with the Red Sox -- showed just how important this was.

"You don't see the four of us sitting with anyone ever, except ourselves," said Henry, the principal owner.

Yet there they were yesterday, out in force at Fenway Park on the eve of the home opener to celebrate the signing of Ortiz to a contract extension. The deal is a four-year, $52-million extension that features a $2-million signing bonus and an annual salary of $12.5 million from 2007 to 2010. The Sox also hold a $12.5-million option for the 2011 season for which there is no buyout.

Ortiz "embodies what we want the Boston Red Sox to be," said Epstein, the Sox' general manager. "He's a guy who works hard. He's a guy who sees the big picture. He's a guy who has a smile on his face all the time. He's a guy who sets the right mood in the clubhouse. He means a lot to our franchise.

"He's a player and a person we want to commit to for a long time."

Ortiz' current deal was set to expire after this season, although the Red Sox held an option for 2007.

"In free agency, especially with power hitters these days, David would have been presented with a lot of options that would have made it difficult for him to stay in Boston," said Epstein. "We have a philosophy that we place values on players that we stick to, and David might have received bigger offers in free agency."

So the Sox and Ortiz' representatives began negotiating at the conclusion of last season. The bulk of the work was done in spring training, and the sides finalized the deal over the weekend.

"I'm happy to be here, like I always tell all you guys," said Ortiz. "I'm glad to be a Red Sox player . . . I feel great playing here in Boston. I feel like this is my house, and I got to protect my house . . I'm happy and proud [that the Red Sox chose to extend his contract before the old one ran out], and I thank them once again for doing that."

Ortiz was one of Epstein's first acquisitions after he took over as general manager. He signed him as a free agent after the Twins declined to offer him a contract prior to the 2003 season.

"He's my boy, he's made me look pretty good," joked Epstein. "I had to give it up for him."

Joking or not, Ortiz has made Epstein look like a genius. In his three years with the Red Sox he's hit .297 with 120 home runs and 392 RBI.

"We got him at a low point in his value," said Epstein. "He had gotten sidetracked through some bad luck and injuries and lack of opportunities. He's blossomed in a way that no one could have anticipated.

"But he's also blossomed into someone who's liked and respected around major-league baseball, and we're equally proud of that."

Which is one of the reasons ownership was out in force yesterday. But another is that Ortiz is as happy to be with the Red Sox as they are to have him.

"In Boston, you have so many people behind you that support you," he said. "There is no way you walk onto the field and you don't feel like playing baseball. I keep telling the new guys [on the Sox], 'Wait 'til you play your first game at Fenway Park. You might need a diaper.' "

He was more eloquent in expressing his feelings when talking to Henry at the beginning of the contract talks.

"He told us in such a heartfelt manner how he felt about the city of Boston and how he felt about the fans and how he felt about the organization," said Henry. "And we've never had that in negotiations before."

And that's one of the reasons why a team that has seen any number of franchise icons either walk or get nudged out the door in the last two years -- Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon, Kevin Millar -- worked so diligently to keep Ortiz in Boston.

"In many ways," said Lucchino, the team's president and CEO, "David has been, and will continue to be, one of the faces of this franchise."

amartone@projo.com / (401) 277-7345