According to lawyers who spoke to the The New York Times, and whose names were not revealed, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are on the list of 104 players who tested positive in Major League Baseball’s 2003 survey testing for performance-enhancing drugs, testing that was agreed to and conducted only on the condition that the results would remain anonymous.

Ortiz and Ramirez were members of the Boston Red Sox at the time and helped the club end an 86-year streak in which they hadn’t won a World Series.

Results from the 2003 tests, which met a threshold that led to the establishment of MLB’s current drug policy that includes random testing, were never destroyed and have been the subject of spirited debate among fans and media about what should be done with the names from that period in which the substances were not yet outlawed under collective bargaining rules. The results have become a legal issue being contested by the MLB Players Association and the federal government.

Previously, other players have been linked to the list based on leaks: Barry Bonds, Jason Grimsley, Alex Rodriguez, David Segui and Sammy Sosa. There are 97 names that remain undisclosed.

According to the Times, new information on Ortiz and Ramirez — the latter of whom, now with the Dodgers, returned earlier this month from a 50-game suspension for a subsequent violation of the game’s drug policy — sprang from interviews with persons connected to pending litigation.

Earlier Thursday, prior to the posting of the story on the newspaper’s Web site, Ortiz responded to questions about the 2003 tests by telling a Times reporter, “I’m not talking about that anymore. I have no comment.”

Michael Weiner, the current general counsel and executive director-elect for the players union, also declined comment.

“We, of course, would have no comment and refer all comments to Major League Baseball,” said Dodgers vice president of communications Josh Rawitch.

“We have no comment because Major League Baseball has no knowledge of the names that are on the list,” said MLB vice president of public relations Pat Courtney.

In its report, the Times points out that Ortiz had been let go by the Minnesota Twins following the 2002 season, and after signing a low-profile contract with the Red Sox, set personal highs with 31 home runs and 101 RBIs in 2003. Ortiz continued improving on those statistics, compiling 148 RBIs in 2005 and 54 homers the following season.

When his recent suspension was handed down on May 7, Ramirez said, “I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.”

That five-year period would extend back to 2004.

When Rodriguez admitted to the report of his positive 2003 test, he said he hoped that the names of others who tested positive would not be revealed.

“I hope those names never come out,” Rodriguez said. “There’s so much negativity and sadness going on around the world and the U.S. … people look at baseball for a savior or for inspiration, and I know that I’ve let a lot of people down.”

Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.