It's appearing more likely that by the time the Red Sox negotiating rights with David Ortiz expire on Friday, the two sides won't have a deal, according to an MLB.com report.

However, GM Ben Cherington remains hopeful that Ortiz will return for an 11th season.

"Well, we're working on it," said Cherington on WEEI's Hot Stove program on Thursday night. "We've been talking to David since the end of the season, and it's been a good conversation. Everyone knows that we'd like to keep him, and I think there's mutual interest. And we've had a lot of talks, and we've made up some ground in some areas, but we still have some work to do."