"It appears "likely" that the Boston Red Sox and David Ortiz are headed to a hearing to decide his arbitration case, a major league source with knowledge of the situation said Wednesday.

The source also said the hearing was not scheduled for this week, so there is still time to negotiate.

If the sides do go to a hearing, it will be the team's first since Tim Wakefield in 2002.

Hearings began Tuesday and continue through Feb. 17 in St. Petersburg, Fla. At the hearing, an independent arbitration panel would decide on Ortiz's 2012 salary, choosing between numbers submitted by the team and the player. "