It be risky, but they could try and pass him through waivers. He's still got a hefty sum on his deal. Not sure there's too many teams out there that would take that risk. But I guess theres the chance of a crazy GM somewhere. In that case, well at least we be free and clear and could move on.
Although this view is one of the more extreme examples, you may in the end be right. Ortiz just can't hit. It's becoming very hard to watch. But Tek tanked last season, and Francona road him all the way down. So I bet for the time being Ortiz will stay in the lineup.
And what if he doesn't hit in the minors? He has to come back up eventually.
The fan part of my brain tends to agree with you. The other side tends to lean more with SCM. Time will tell.