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Pedro Martinez still isn't convinced David Ortiz will stay retired

Despite cryptic tweets and perceived teases, David Ortiz’s playing career is over.

There will be no surprises or dramatic returns come spring training. There actually probably will be non-stop rumors throughout the season, but they won’t mean anything. Ortiz is done playing and he’s perfectly content with his decision.

Case closed.

Only not really, because despite both Ortiz’s and the Red Sox assertion that he’s done, people are still speculating about his future. That even includes former teammate and 2016 Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez.

Martinez is far from the only person to express the “I’ll believe it when I don’t see him on the field” sentiment regarding Ortiz. He might be the most prominent though.

Pedro Martinez (left) and David Ortiz share the World Series trophy during a ceremony celebrating Ortiz's career. (Getty Images)
Pedro Martinez (left) and David Ortiz share the World Series trophy during a ceremony celebrating Ortiz’s career. (Getty Images)

Not that it actually changes anything. The parties directly involved have all moved on.

Well, for the most part.

According to Stephen Hewitt of the Boston Herald, Red Sox president Sam Kennedy is searching for ways to keep Ortiz involved with the organization. Ideas are wide-ranging, but one that certainly caught our attention is his possible addition to the Red Sox broadcasting team on NESN.

“We’re going to talk about what he may or may not want to do,” Kennedy said. “He did say after the season, ‘Let’s just talk in January.’ He was so overwhelmed and tired. It’s a good time to start that conversation. I know he has a lot of plans — broadcasting, a lot of businesses he’s involved with. We’ll see what he’s up to, but we really hope to cement something so he’s part of the organization.”

Ortiz is not scheduled to appear at the Red Sox Winter Weekend event taking place this weekend. Instead, Kennedy, Tom Werner and Dave Dombrowski will travel to the Dominican Republic next week to meet with Ortiz and get a feel for where he’s at. If they can get Ortiz on board for a broadcasting gig though, that would certainly create some interest.

Longtime color analyst Jerry Remy recently agreed to a new multi-year contract that will see him working 115 Red Sox games each season. He’s obviously locked in as the main color man. But when you subtract national television appearances, there are still 30-35 games where NESN would need a replacement. A part-time deal such as that might be appealing to Ortiz, or perhaps there’s even a role to be created that’s better suited to his personality.

The possibilities are intriguing, but the realistic ones don’t include a return to the field.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!