FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The start of the 2016 season is still six weeks away, but the Red Sox are already putting together a plan on how to handle David Ortiz's farewell tour.
Ortiz, 40, announced late last fall that he would be retiring after 2016.
Undoubtedly, there will be tributes in many cities the Red Sox visit, with teams honoring him the way Mariano Rivera was feted in 2013 and Derek Jeter was saluted in his final season in 2014.
Chief among the Red Sox' objectives: making sure that Ortiz accommodates everyone without having the process serve as a distraction to the slugger or his team.
"You only go through it once,'' said John Farrell, "so you don't know how they're going to balance it. But we've already had discussions about what's the best amount of access to David. That's going to be a give-and-take throughout the year. But I think the most important thing is his priority and that is doing what he can to help this team win.''
Part of the problem is MLB's unbalanced schedule, which sends the Red Sox to each American League city outside the East just once. When the Sox begin the season in Cleveland on April 4, for instance, it may be the first three games of the season, but it also represents his last visit of the regular season to that city and ballpark.
"Sitting here today, I don't know that we have an idea about what other cities, other teams are going to do for him,'' Farrell said. "I would suspect, as we get into camp a little bit deeper, whether or not we set up a certain day in a series -- for access for other clubs, other personnel, other people in those cities -- to (have access) to David.''
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Beyond the Red Sox input, there are other marketing and promotional opportunities for Ortiz on his extended goodbye tour.
"I'm sure David's representation has other ideas, other things they're trying to accomplish as well,'' Farrell said. "This is going to require coordination by many. Conversations are going on as we speak to make sure that the priority is where it needs to be -- and that's to keep the focus on doing what we need to win and also to pay tribute to a very, very good career.''