Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said Friday that talks with the representatives for David Ortiz are ongoing. "We have had a lot of dialogue with David and his agents," said Cherington. "Because of what I feel, and I think he feels, is a little bit more of a defined market for that role it's been easier to engage sooner. It's probably less likely to be a situation where he gets into the market and there's something that he's pushed into a corner on. David knows we want him to be here. We want him to be back with the Red Sox. We want him in our lineup. We've had a lot of dialogue to see if there's a way to do that and I think that will continue." Ortiz, who turns 36 next week, earned $12.5 million this season while batting .309/.398/.554 with 29 homers, 96 RBI and a .953 OPS. He will likely aim for a multi-year contract with a similar annual salary.