Papi’s Staying, Is Rondo Going?

David Ortiz accepted arbitration from the Red Sox last night, meaning that the Red Sox DH will be back in Boston for at least another season. Meanwhile, Danny Ainge continues to push hard for a Chris Paul for Rajon Rondo swap, and Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Celtics competition in this quest may be getting cold feet.

The baseball winter meetings ended with not a whole lot of action from the Red Sox. New GM Ben Cherington has said several times already that his style is very deliberate, and he does not rush into decisions. At some point, that may turn into a source of frustration, but at this point, his options for making changes seem pretty limited to begin with.

Ben Cherington easing into things – Gordon Edes says that the Sox GM might not have made moves this week, but he got a lot of work done. Scott Lauber says that Cherington’s patient approach may pay dividends this offseason. Alex Speier further examines why Cherington and the Red Sox are in no hurry to make moves.

David Ortiz’s Presence Gives Stability to Red Sox Lineup, Making His Return a Necessity – Didier Morais looks at why retaining Ortiz is essential for the Red Sox lineup.

Bobby Valentine adds fuel to Sox-Yankees fire – John Tomase has the new Red Sox manager having his Rex Ryan moment yesterday.

Team in need of toughness – Nick Cafardo claims that the problem with the 2011 Red Sox was that “nobody went up to Josh Beckett or Jon Lester or John Lackey to say, “Uh, it’s the fifth inning, you shouldn’t be having a cold one.’’

Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul and the importance of timing – Paul Flannery looks at the pursuit of Paul by the Celtics. Chris Forsberg urges Ainge to go get his guy, even if Chris Paul wants no part of Celtics according to Mark Murphy.

Ahead of the game – Shira Springer looks at how important conditioning will be coming out of the lockout, and whether the Celtics might actually benefit from the reduced, though compacted schedule.

Celtics could make a splash next summer – Gary Washburn looks at Ainge making moves with next summer’s free agent class in mind.

Hornets’ Williams, Rivers have similar styles – A. Sherrod Blakely notes that if Paul and Rondo are traded for each other, they may not have to make much of an adjustment.

Ronnie Lippett: Devin McCourty must follow instincts – Ron Borges has the former Patriots cornerback giving some advice to the struggling second-year cornerback.

Gaffney gives tutorial on working as No. 3 receiver in New England – Christopher Price has the Redskins receiver talking about what made him so effective in New England. Karen Guregian says that the Patriots have never been able to replace Gaffney.

Andre Carter has fans on all sides – Mike Reiss says you can’t find anyone with a bad word to say about the Patriots defensive lineman, even as he prepares to face his former team on Sunday. Ian R. Rapoport has the signing of Carter a huge boost for the Patriots. Mark Farinella says that Carter has been a perfect fit in Foxborough.

Lack of turnovers key for Pats – Glen Farley has the Patriots not losing the ball during this four-game winning streak.

Family reunion on the slate – Monique Walker has Hall of Fame offensive lineman Jackie Slater talking about his son, Matthew.

B’s to play big game – Mike Loftus says that all of sudden, tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers is a big one for the Bruins.

Bruins aim: Score on rebound – Stephen Harris has the Bruins looking to bounce back from the loss in Winnipeg.