If the money is right, David Ortiz doesn't see any reason his longtime friend Alex Rodriguez wouldn't remain with the Yankees beyond this season. "I think if they offer [Rodriguez] what he wants, he would prefer to stay," Ortiz told The Post yesterday. Ortiz said he last spoke with Rodriguez when the Yankees and Red Sox played their series in New York just more than two weeks ago, and he senses that Rodriguez is content in pinstripes after a mostly tumultuous stay. Rodriguez has an opt-out clause in his contract that could make him a free agent after this season, but the Yankees are expected to offer him a new deal before it reaches that point. Ortiz sounded as if the Yankees better be prepared to bring a blank check to the negotiating table. It's been speculated that Rodriguez, who is making $27.7 million this season, could command as much as $40 million a year on the open market. "If I'm him, with everything he's been through over there, I would think about [leaving], because they put him on the spot a bunch of times," Ortiz said, referring to Yankees fans and the media. "It's his turn now. And I'm pretty sure he won't forget about all that."