Replacing a legend was never going to be easy, but the Boston Red Sox don't seem to be considering a permanent designated hitter to take David Ortiz's spot in the lineup next season.
"We’re not looking to have just a DH," team president Dave Dombrowski told Rod Bradford of WEEI.
"I think really in today's game the only way you really do that is to have somebody like David Ortiz and most of the time you really prefer to have some flexibility. It's not to say somebody won't settle in most of the time, but your goal is to use the flexibility of the players at this point. We'll see how that all fits in."
Dombrowski has remained very tight lipped about the Red Sox plans this offseason, saying the team wasn't sure if it would look at the free-agent market to replace Ortiz or promote someone internally. As it stands, the Red Sox have Hanley Ramirez, Travis Shaw, and Pablo Sandoval as candidates to DH, while also offering positional flexibility.
The team has been linked to Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Beltran in free agency, with the latter being viewed as more of a permanent DH. Encarnacion, who played 75 games for the Toronto Blue Jays at first base, is seeking a contract in the $125-million range, perhaps limiting the Red Sox interest.
Ramirez, meanwhile, was viewed as Ortiz's eventual replacement when he was signed in 2014, something that Dombrowski says is a realistic outcome for next season.
"He can do both (play first base and DH)," Dombrowski said of Ramirez. "He's capable playing first and he's also capable of being a DH. He's capable of doing both during the season. That's where we have some flexibility."
Ortiz was one of only five players to appear in over 100 games as a DH, leading the pack with 140 games. Victor Martinez and Kendrys Morales - the latter of which was signed to a reported three-year, $33-million dollar deal by the Blue Jays - both appeared in 138 games as DH, respectively.