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Good signing- Napoli is clutch
Mike Napoli, Red Sox agree to deal
By Gordon Edes
The Boston Red Sox on Monday agreed to a three-year, $39 million contract with free-agent first baseman/catcher Mike Napoli, pending a physical, a baseball source with direct knowledge of the negotiations told ESPNDallas.com.
Napoli, who visited Boston late last month, is expected to play primarily at first base for the Red Sox.
Napoli's physical will take place Wednesday, a source said, and his signing likely will be announced at week's end.
He was identified early on as a logical target to fill the Red Sox's need at first and gives the club another option behind the plate if general manager Ben Cherington elects to shop Jarrod Saltalamacchia at the winter meetings. But Saltalamacchia sounded confident Saturday that he is very much a part of the team's plans moving forward, and a baseball source said Monday that he has gotten no indication that the Sox intend to move Saltalamacchia.
Napoli has never played more than 70 games at first base, which he did in 2010, when the Angels' Kendrys Morales fractured his leg in a freak accident and Napoli was pressed into duty as a replacement.
"It is my expectation that he is going to be a right-handed power bat in the middle of their lineup," Napoli's agent, Brian Grieper, said Monday. "As far as position, that is up to the Red Sox."
This past season, Napoli caught 72 games for the Rangers, but the most he has caught in his career is 96 games (2009), and at age 31, he might be receptive to making a more permanent position switch to first base.
"I just want to play," Napoli recently told ESPNDallas.com. "I feel the most comfortable behind the plate because that's where most of my reps have been. Do I think I can be good at first base if I had reps and practiced it all the time? Yes. But it's not like I'm saying I have to be a catcher. I just want to be in the lineup and play. If it helps at catcher, I'll catch, or at first base, I'll play there. But I like catching. I look at myself as catcher."
The Rangers also met with Napoli and had interest in bringing him back, but they did not make a qualifying offer of $13.3 million, which means Boston could sign him without forfeiting a draft choice.
Napoli would give the Red Sox a needed right-handed power bat, especially if the club is unable to retain outfielder Cody Ross, which will be the case if Ross is able to persuade another team to sign him to the three-year deal he was unable to score last winter.
Napoli's numbers across the board in 2012 showed a significant drop-off from 2011, when he relocated to Arlington's hitter-friendly ballpark after five seasons in Anaheim and enjoyed a career year, batting .320 with 30 home runs, 75 RBIs and 72 runs. His average in 2012 was .227, with 24 home runs, 56 RBIs and 53 runs, and while Napoli's batting average on balls in play (.273) suggested his luck took a dive from 2011 (when his BABIP was .344), there is ample evidence to suggest his breakout season was an anomaly.
"Obviously, I didn't have the year I wanted to," Napoli told ESPNDallas.com. "But I feel like I'm a better average hitter than that. My career numbers show that. I had a rough year average-wise and hitting with runners in scoring position (.245), and I struck out more than past years. It was a weird year for me, mentally and physically. I battled injuries all year."
Napoli has shown (in a relatively small sample size) that Fenway Park is to his liking, posting a .306/.397/.710 (BA/OBP/SLG) line there in 19 games, with seven home runs and 17 RBIs.
A Red Sox official said Monday that Napoli will bring "power" and "good makeup" to the lineup.
"See, that's the big thing. We need that. Napoli, (outfielder Jonny) Gomes. They give us that," the official said.
http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/...al-source-says
Good signing- Napoli is clutch
Good pickup for the Sox, not too bad of a contract either...
Shane Victorino to the Red Sox for 3 years/$39mill. Absolutely crazy.
Over priced? Yeah, but I think I would take Victorino over Swisher right now. Swisher is a regular season player who doesn't do jack in the playoffs. Victorino, even though he's older, is a of a defender and can still put the ball in play. He can still steal bases at a good clip too....
Good stuff.
We get to keep Papi and add two more solid players.
I'm more interested in getting better picthing though.
If you ever want to find a textbook example of, "Spending money just because it's available," this Red Sox off season is where to look.
signing two mediocre batters for a combined $78mil when the pitching still sucks
Napoli was this season and prior Before he signed with us. Was his first year here a fluke season?
Fenway does have a way of making mediocre hitters better though. Not always, but a few extra doubles and HRs where a lot of stadiums would yield flyballs. Plus, in the AL East, he's now going to play 100+ games in homerun friendly parks. Wouldn't surprise me at all to see him hit 30+ HRs even if his BA doesn't get that much better.
Pretty much, I expect him to hit about .280-.290 with around 25-30 dingers. I don't understand why they want him to be an everyday 1st baseman though.
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