Sadly when, yes when, the Sox trade Ramirez this offseason and get considerably lower value in return Ortiz will go back to being Minnesota Ortiz. Still good, but a shell of his former self od the last 3 seasons.
Also, I think another factor of Theo jumping ship is the fact that the Sox are heading for a downward turn in dramatic fashion. Next season they have no CF, No LF, no 1B, mediocre SP, terrible RP, no 3B, rookie 2B, etc...
Sure there's some talent in the minors but 2006 looks very very gloomy here in Boston. Theo did the smart thing and will sit out for a year and wait for 10 teams to bid on his services. He will make more than 1.5 Mil over 3 years, book it.