I was making an inference* based on you assertion that Ortiz performed poorly when the Sox needed help and better only once the team was better. There may be some causal relation that you are denying in the latter, but equally I'd argue the former was mostly out of his control anyway. Regardless, my point is he's got some built up goodwill for performing in key spots and for being the franchise's star.
I didn't say Ortiz was the equivalent player or talent of a Kobe or Jeter, just that his pay in his declining years was similarly based more on past performance than current. Let's use Dirk Nowitzki as the comp (not as many titles, but similar one-way player
*Inference - the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation