Red Sox Legend David Ortiz Signs Multiyear FTX Deal

Former Boston Red Sox player David “Big Papi” Ortiz is the newest ambassador of crypto exchange FTX.

The Major League Baseball legend, who hit more than 500 home runs in his career and won three World Series titles with the Red Sox, has agreed to a multiyear deal with the exchange.

As part of the pact, Ortiz, who is now retired as a player, will be compensated in cryptocurrency through the FTX app and will release multiple collections of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), according to FTX’s press release.

FTX’s athlete ambassadors also include Tampa Bay Buccaneer quarterback Tom Brady and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. TV commercials referencing the Ortiz deal (and mentioning Brady and Curry) began running on Tuesday night during the first game of the 2021 World Series.

Read more: NBA Star Steph Curry Joins Tom Brady as FTX Ambassador

FTX will also be serving as a title sponsor for the David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic, and contribute donations to his charity, the David Ortiz’s Children’s Fund.

The crypto exchange, led by CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, is growing familiar with MLB. Its current sponsorships include patches of its logo on the league’s umpire uniforms and “Moonblasts,” where the exchange has donated $10,000 for every postseason home run hit over 425 feet.

“David is an MLB legend, known for hitting home runs to the moon and his incredible personality,” Bankman-Fried said in the press release. “Most importantly, he is dedicated and passionate about helping others, so when he wanted to get into crypto, we were incredibly excited to help him start his journey. Now the world knows that Big Papi is in.”