Red Sox and David Ortiz are nearly $4 million apart in the numbers each side filed for a potential arbitration hearing. The report states that the Red Sox filed at $12.65 million, while Ortiz' number came in at $16.5 million (he made $12.5 million last year).
I think $16.5 million is absurd, actually I think $13 million is absurd, but that's what I bet he ends up getting, because of what they paid him last year and the year he had. I don't blame Ortiz for asking for a lot, because what's the downside for him? He is getting a contract one way or another, so he might as well get as much as he can.