David versus the Boston Red Sox PR Machine

David Ortiz, though hot lately, has had a bad year. The above plot, from fangraphs.com shows David Ortiz's slugging percentage. Formerly, an elite player, in 2009, he has been just average.

Bill James, baseball statistician extraordinaire, just "broke his silence" and wrote that steroids ultimately will not matter to Hall of Fame voters. (Bill James works for the Red Sox.)

The New York Times then leaked that David Ortiz used steroids in 2003 "according to the players' union". (The New York Times owns the Boston Red Sox.)

Now, the Red Sox have traded for Victor Martinez and Casey Kotchman, both of whom will take away at bats from Ortiz, though maybe not much, and maybe not right away.

Are these stories coincidental or has the Boston Red Sox public relations machine implemented their strategy for releasing David Ortiz this year or next?

David Ortiz makes $12.5 million in 2009 and the same in 2010. In 2011, the Red Sox have a club option to retain him. They will not.