Surprise, surprise.
After weeks of hot pursuit, the Red Sox have finally signed their top free agent target, agreeing to terms today with free agent 1B/C Mike Napoli on a three year, $39M contract. This comes after the Sox wined and dined Napoli to convince him to come to the reeling team (manager John Farrell, GM Ben Cherington, President and CEO Larry Lucchino, and Owner John Henry all attended the meeting with Napoli).
Napoli is coming off a pretty rough season, one in which he hit a measly .227/.343/.469 for the Rangers. However, his career OPS is .863 and he's one year removed from his monster year where he hit .320/.414/.631.
As much as I like the signing for the Red Sox, I have to sit back and give a slow clap for Rangers GM Jon Daniels. He decided it would be the smart thing to do to not make Napoli a qualifying offer at the end of the year, but low and behold, Napoli signs for three times the term and salary of a simple one year qualifying offer, one which he likely would have turned down in search of a multi year deal.
Jeez.
For those of you complaining about the Red Sox not signing or trading for a pitcher yet, keep in mind that new hitting coach Greg Colbrunn's goal is to get the Sox back to their best days, ones in which they would grind out at bats, foul pitches off, take some pitches. And if you put any stock into what Rangers manager Ron Washington says (which you should), you'll listen to him when he says, "You want a guy who can grind out at-bats, and he (Napoli)'s certainly the epitome of doing just that."
The other thing about the Red Sox that most people just conveniently overlook is the fact that they were 5th in the American League in runs scored last season, and were dead last in runs scored after the Punto trade. Their need for offense can not be under estimated, not in the least bit. Napoli is tailor made for shooting rockets over the Green Monster, and has stellar numbers at Fenway (.306/.397/.710 line with 7 HR and 17 RBI in 19 games) make him that much more appealing to Boston.
Many of you are complaining about the Napoli singing, crying that he is a bust and the Red Sox should have stayed away from him. Well, I have just one thing to say to you.
I love how everyone is complaining about signing Napoli. If the Sox didn't sign him, you'd be whining that they didn't do enough to get him.
— Mitch Cole (@DirtyWaterBuzz) December 3, 2012
Shameless self promotion: Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, @DirtyWaterBuzz...
Anyways, it's true. It happens every year. People want to see the Sox sign the best free agents on the market, not the ones that are the best fits for the team. I can guarantee that right now, many of you are wondering, "Why Mike Napoli? I've never heard of him. They should sign Josh Hamilton. He's a superstar!" No. Just, no.
Oh, and also.
Josh Hamilton, while a very talented player, has so many question marks that any team that is located within 100 miles of a bar should stay away from him. He has questions about his health, his production, his age, and the ever present danger of an addiction relapse if he can't handle a big market, or just feels the need to get completely plastered. The other names you'll think of, Zack Greinke and Anibal Sanchez, are just as bad. Greinke has had issues with anxiety and depression and is very likely far too thin skinned to play in a market like Boston, and Sanchez has had one good year and one great playoff run under his belt and people are already acting like he's a huge proven stud. Those two guys are bad news as well. As are a good deal of free agents out there. Guys such as Nick Swisher (who the Red Sox are still pursuing), Shane Victorino, Cody Ross (both of whom are still on Boston's radar), and even veterans with something to prove, such as Dan Haren and Rich Harden, would be great additions to the roster.
Take a seat. Your logic is gone.
Don't be surprised to see one of Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Ryan Lavarnway traded this offseason as well. The additions of David Ross and Mike Napoli create a serious logjam at catcher, and now that the Pirates have signed Russell Martin, the Red Sox could fetch a pretty good haul for a Salty or Manchild Lavarnway. Perhaps one of them could be part of a package for pitching depth. The Chicago White Sox appear to match up well with Boston for a trade, as the ChiSox are looking for catching depth and the Red Sox need pitching, a swap involving Salty and Gavin Floyd could make sense for both sides. The Chicago Cubs also appear to be a reasonable destination for Saltalamacchia, as President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein has a creepy man crush on the young catcher.
There is no guarantee, however, that the Red Sox do trade a catcher. However, it is likely to happen now as the team is unlikely to want to carry three or four catchers capable of playing in the majors.
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