Ortiz makes appeal to Sox on Lester

With free agent Jon Lester expected to make a decision soon on where he will take his talents, Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz had a message for his bosses: "Now is the time to step up, man up, and try to make the guy happy."

Ortiz made the appeal for his team to sign Lester in speaking with reporters at his charity golf tournament in the Dominican Republic on Thursday.

"This is a guy who loves Boston, so if I'm the Red Sox, I do whatever it takes to keep a guy like that because that's a guy who brings everything he has every day to the field," Ortiz said. "Not only that, but he cares about the city.

"He was devastated when he got traded, and I know that. I can personally tell you that. But this is a business, and I know he understands that."

Lester has made the free-agent rounds and is thought to have four primary suitors: the Red Sox, Cubs, Giants and a fourth team, thought to be the Dodgers, according to reports.

"Most of the time we come through," Ortiz said. "I know it's a tough situation because my boy Lester, he's got a lot of people in his head right now talking to him. I always wish him the best, but hopefully we end up having him. We need him."

On a conference call with reporters Tuesday night, Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said the team's series of incremental moves so far, some of which were intended to bolster the team's Triple-A depth, could foreshadow bigger things.

"Having that base of depth gives you the opportunity to make more aggressive, needle-moving moves as the offseason goes on," Zaidi said.

Lester is described by clubs in the bidding as eager to finish the process and choose a team. He had hoped to sign before the winter meetings, which begin next week, but "that doesn't leave a whole lot of time," an executive of one team said.

Information from ESPN.com senior writer Jayson Stark and ESPNLosAngeles.com's Mark Saxon was used in this report.