David Ortiz, the pretend general manager, is hard to pin down.

Asked what the Red Sox need to do in order to be successful in 2013, Ortiz offered a myriad of answers.

"I would go and try and get another three David Ortiz's."

"We need more bad [bleepity bleepers]."

"Go out and get good players."

"I think we need to get a little of everything."

And, finally, the one that might have hit Red Sox' fans the hardest …

"WIth an organization like this one, we need to go and play like those guys across the street are playing right right now," said Ortiz, referencing the Yankees. "That's how this organization looks right. Now, if you're not going to play like that you can't be playing that far away from it."

While Ortiz might be zig-zagging his way across the team-building landscape, when talking prior to the Red Sox' series-opener against the Yankees Tuesday, there was one message that couldn't have been more clear.

The designated hitter has seemingly zeroed in on his offseason goals: To return to the Red Sox while monitoring how the Red Sox are going to return to the team he once knew.

"When it comes down to negotiations, the one thing I want to tell you is I want to be here," he said. "I want to be part of this. That's the thing I can tell you the most going into free agency. At the same time, this is a winning ballclub here. You need to bring in those players who like to win because this is a winning organization right here. This is an organization that the past 10 years have been very successful. You can't let that rhythm walk away from you. You have to at least be part of the playoffs. We have two wild cards, and we're not even in it. You can't let that happen."

When the Red Sox made their historic trade with the Dodgers, freeing up a roster's worth of money, it was immediately believed that Ortiz might be one of the benefactors. Not only would the team have more cash to draw from when trying to fit the DH into their budgetary plans, but, with the loss of Adrian Gonzalez, there would seem to be an even greater need for the type of middle-of-the-order bat that Ortiz represents.

But while Ortiz isn't blind to the twist of fate the deal presented, it also presented the immediate future in a different light. He hopes to return for 2013 to be part of the team's new beginnings, but only if they include some old results.

"Right now, to be honest, I don't know what I really want," said Ortiz of his next contract. "I've been so focused on trying to get better in my situation (returning from an Achilles tendon injury). If I'm fine, I would take my chances with everything. Of course I would like to come back here with a better team. One of the main reasons I want to come back here is because I know this ballclub is going to have a good chance to win next year because [of] the situation we're in right now. The team has a lot of money to go out there and get some players that can help us out. In my case, I don't think my situation is going to be the one that stops them from getting this ballclub better.

"I know I'm going to be fine. I know I'm going to be ready to play next year. I'm not going to need surgery. Another month off will get me to where I need to be. The main thing is to get some good players so we don't go through this nightmare again.

"The thing is when people talk about me signing a multi-year contract, they make it seem like I'm asking for a four- or five-year deal. A guy like me isn't going to be looking for more than two years in the market. I know I'm going to be 37 years old and the only reason I might be asking for whatever I'm asking for is because I'm in good shape to provide something the next couple of years. The reality is my problem is not what I want or what I need, my problem is what I want to be by this time next year -- If I [will] be looking forward to going to the playoffs, or if we're going to be in the situation we are right now, which is disgusting. I like to win. I like the atmosphere around here when we are winning. I like the feeling of preparation going to the playoffs. I haven't lost that taste. The taste of that has not been there. I got used to that."

Ortiz doesn't necessarily like to play GM (as was evidenced in his roundabout roster solutions), but, as he explained about potential acquisitions, "If they have any questions, I'll be happy to answer."

The team's ability to use its newfound riches properly, however, is something that Ortiz is clearly focused on. With a season of chaos, he understands there there will be challenges to lure what he views as the right type of players to Boston.

His situation aside, Ortiz realizes that it's a task that won't be easily executed, but is far from improbable.

"You need to have guys that are ready to play and know how to deal with all this stuff we've dealt with this year," he said. 

"I think the trade was good for everybody. It was good for the players. It was good for the organization. Next year, with the money they have now, they can do something different. You have the same players for two years -- and I'm not saying we weren't winning because of those guys -- but those guys were going to be a big part of what was going to happen the next five years. So it was going to be about either what you saw, or what you're about to see. It was what you already had, or what you're about to experience. What you already had wasn't working, so let's see if I can experience something else. That's what they did. There are going to be some interesting guys in free agency who hopefully want to play in Boston.

"Playing here is not that easy, but if you do what you're supposed to do you don't have to deal with any of that stuff. The message I can send the free agents is don't focus on how bad you hear it is to play here, because if you're consistent through the year you're going to be OK here. It's different if you come here with really big expectations and you aren't doing what you used to do, which is the situation that happened with some players here."

So, again, what would Ortiz be looking for?

"Bad …" You get the idea.