DALLAS -- If David Ortiz has decided to accept the Red Sox’ offer of salary arbitration and thus guarantee that he will spend at least one more year in Boston, then as of just after midnight early Wednesday morning, that detail remained news to the team with whom he has spent the last nine seasons.

No matter.

Whether or not the verdict is official, the outcome is almost certain to remain the same. David Ortiz will return to the Boston Red Sox for at least the 2012 season, something that will almost surely become official by Wednesday's 11pm CST deadline to accept or decline an offer of arbitration. The remaining issue is what form Ortiz’ return to the Sox will take, and the way in which Ortiz will respond to a dare by the Sox that he bet on his own future.

That is what lies at the crux of the question of whether Ortiz simply should accept a huge payday through arbitration or accept a multi-year deal with a lower average annual value. Either way, the DH appears set to remain a key lineup contributor in 2012.

That development is not surprising. From the time that Ortiz reached free agency, such an outcome seemed all but inevitable. Ortiz wanted to return to the Red Sox. The Red Sox wanted Ortiz to return.

That mutual interest became all the more significant given that the market for designated hitters was inherently limited by several factors:

--There are only 14 teams in the AL, rather than 30 potential markets for pitchers or position players;

--Some of those 14 teams have no money to spend on a multi-year deal for a 36-year-old slugger;

--Some teams already have either a DH or have committed to the idea of moving various position players in and out of the DH role to give them rest;

--Some teams are deterred by the prospect of having to give up a top draft pick to sign Ortiz to a multi-year deal, something that became necessary once the Sox offered him salary arbitration.

In the end, since the free agency period began, there has been precisely one team that has expressed publicly an interest in signing Ortiz: The Red Sox. The clearest expression of that interest came when the Sox offered arbitration to the middle-of-the-order basher.

“I think it’s a strong indication of our interest and our willingness to commit to him, potentially at a significant salary for next year,” said Sox GM Ben Cherington. “[The Sox] remain hopeful he’s on the team in 2012. That’s been our position all along.”

Ortiz is coming off a monster 2011 season in which he was clearly the preeminent DH in the game. He hit .309 with a .398 OBP, .554 slugging mark, .953 OPS, 29 homers and 96 RBI. Thus, if he accepted arbitration, it could yield a one-year deal worth perhaps $15 million or more in 2012, up from the $12.5 million Ortiz earned in 2011.

However, the man who ranks third in the major in homers over the last nine years with 320 (an average of 36 a year) did not enter this winter targeting a potential record one-year contract for a position player (a mark currently held by Barry Bonds, who played on a $15.8 million deal in 2007).

Ortiz wanted a multi-year deal, ideally for three seasons. When that did not materialize, he adjusted his sights.

According to an industry source, Ortiz sought a two-year, $25 million deal from the Sox. The team, according to the source, countered by offering him a two-year, $18 million deal -- offering him a couple million more for a second season than he would receive for a one-year deal through arbitration.

At its heart, the Red Sox’ offer sends a couple messages. First, the team really wants Ortiz back for 2012, showing a willingness to pay him more for next season than he would receive from any other team for next year. Secondly, the team has a limited comfort level with bringing him back beyond 2012. If they are to do so, it will be at a significant discount from what the team is offering him on a one-year deal.

If Ortiz wants to maximize his earnings and is confident in his ability to put together another strong season in 2012, then there is little doubt that his best bet is to take arbitration, work out a giant one-year deal and then hit the market again next winter (at a time when the free agent offerings once again look fairly uninspiring).

However, there is at least some element of risk involved for Ortiz if he goes the one-year route. He could suffer either an injury or decline and, at age 36, face a thin market for his services next winter. Perhaps the Sox’ roster would shift to a point where they did not see a role for him beyond next year.

That being the case, if Ortiz places greater weight on remaining in Boston for the longest possible period of time, then he may be inclined to take a two-year offer from the Sox that would feature the lower annual salary. While it might seem difficult to envision such a scenario, it is worth recalling that catcher Jason Varitek did not regret turning down salary arbitration (and a one-year contract in excess of $10 million) after the 2008 season in favor of a two-year, $8 million deal to return to the Sox.

Varitek wanted, and got, stability. He cared about that than he did about maximizing his earnings. Perhaps Ortiz will reach a similar conclusion.

For the Sox’ part, their primary interest is in retaining one of the top pure hitters in the AL for next season. At the same time, the team would also welcome retaining Ortiz beyond next year for the right price.

“We’ve talked to him about [remaining with the Sox beyond 2012]. In theory, yeah, we’d like to have him on the team. We’ve expressed to him that, if there’s a way to make it work, we’d like to have him on the team moving forward and potentially have him finish his career with the Red Sox,” said Cherington. “But we haven't reached an agreement on a contract. We’ve had good dialogue, and I think there’s a good understanding of our respective positions and a lot of mutual respect. If we don’t reach anything by tomorrow, we’ll see what his [arbitration] decision is. If we don’t [reach an agreement on a multi-year deal] and he accepts [arbitration], then we’ll be happy with that outcome.”

The Sox, it appears, will be happy. But will Ortiz feel similarly if he either does not get the multi-year deal that he seeks or if he does not get the sort of salary he was seeking?

The answer to that will become clearer by midnight on Wednesday. Ortiz confronts a decision about his future, but whatever direction he chooses to pursue, it will almost surely represent the continuation of his epic tenure with the Red Sox.