Sources say Napoli signs with Sox.

[dupree]

I hope Bard bounces back to his form of old. But im not holding my breath.

[jung]

Although he is not going to admit to it ( I am always fine and ready to pitch Beckett) I think that at this point he is pitching in between back flair ups. Once your back gets to the point where it is flaring up as much as his is, I am guessing that it is the rare good day when he does not feel it at all. Seems to be suffering between two and three flare ups per season at this stage. No question that a pitcher will try to protect the injured back even if it is not a conscience effort to do so.

 

I don't read anything heroic in Beckett's efforts to claim to always be ready to pitch and the whole injuries are not an excuse anyway thing. Beckett is simply unwilling to feed into any reluctance GM's might have regarding his back and the feasibility of his not missing rotation turns. With the kinds of money these guys are making even if a player can squeeze out one more year it is big money.

[Spitball]

Getting back to Napoli, I feel pretty confident he will sign with the Red Sox for a deal similar to the one Adam LaRoche signed. I believe he will sign for two years worth $26 million and include a mutual option for a third year.

 

The Red Sox have little choice but to work with Napoli. There are virtually no other options that won't cost prospects. And Napoli has no comparable options. The Rangers may be interested but doubt they will match the Red Sox offer since they have A. J. Pierzynski, Mike Olt, and Mitch Moreland to fill spots Napoli would play.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

I hope you're right about this Spitball.

[seabeachfred]

Getting back to Napoli, I feel pretty confident he will sign with the Red Sox for a deal similar to the one Adam LaRoche signed. I believe he will sign for two years worth $26 million and include a mutual option for a third year.

 

The Red Sox have little choice but to work with Napoli. There are virtually no other options that won't cost prospects. And Napoli has no comparable options. The Rangers may be interested but doubt they will match the Red Sox offer since they have A. J. Pierzynski, Mike Olt, and Mitch Moreland to fill spots Napoli would play.

 

I hear you Spitball and your argument makes a helluva lot of sense to me. It all seems so neat, cut and dried and bada bing bada bo. HOWEVER, we are talking about the star crossed Red Sox and that dreaded "mystery team" someone on this board mentioned a couple of days ago (sorry I can't remember who to give them credit). We've been waylaid by "mystery teams" before. I would hope the Sox don't drag this out longer than they have to. I'm already of the mind they should just move on, even though I was front and center with my applause at his signing. I think he would be great for Fenway Park, but the longer we wait we risk that "mystery" team and all other options taken from us save for Gomez, and that is one option I cannot and will not ever accept.

[SoxSport]

I hear you Spitball and your argument makes a helluva lot of sense to me. It all seems so neat, cut and dried and bada bing bada bo. HOWEVER, we are talking about the star crossed Red Sox and that dreaded "mystery team" someone on this board mentioned a couple of days ago (sorry I can't remember who to give them credit). We've been waylaid by "mystery teams" before. I would hope the Sox don't drag this out longer than they have to. I'm already of the mind they should just move on, even though I was front and center with my applause at his signing. I think he would be great for Fenway Park, but the longer we wait we risk that "mystery" team and all other options taken from us save for Gomez, and that is one option I cannot and will not ever accept.

 

Can't understand why people write off guys who have had just a cup of coffee up with the Red Sox, and haven't done half bad. You got to have a little bit of patience with these young guys who haven't been in the Show before. I saw this guy Gomez play a game at 1b, and he made a nice play on a grounder. That tells me he's not Dick Stuart. His minor league fielding numbers at 1B are decent. They are not at 3B, and naturally the Red Sox played him at 3B a few times last year.

 

Offensively, he's done well in AAA recently. MVP season. He comes up, hits .275, doesn't show much power in limited appearances.

 

He has done enough to deserve a further look--to see if he can show some Fenway pop.

You got to be persistent with these guys coming out of the minors. Teams like TB give their youngsters plenty of opportunity to succeed. While teams like the Red Sox keep signing

downside veterans, keeping younger players blocked. Baseball is a game of ability and confidence. It takes time to develop confidence going to the next level.

[SoxSport]

Getting back to Napoli, I feel pretty confident he will sign with the Red Sox for a deal similar to the one Adam LaRoche signed. I believe he will sign for two years worth $26 million and include a mutual option for a third year.

 

The Red Sox have little choice but to work with Napoli. There are virtually no other options that won't cost prospects. And Napoli has no comparable options. The Rangers may be interested but doubt they will match the Red Sox offer since they have A. J. Pierzynski, Mike Olt, and Mitch Moreland to fill spots Napoli would play.

 

It's at a point where Napoli increasingly looks risky. He could be a disaster, or he could hit a ton at Fenway next year--like he did last September after a terrible season.

 

They are gambling on a lot of money with this guy, considering the concerns they have about his hip.

 

It's possible the only team really interested in Napoli is Boston. But then, maybe not.

We don't know what's wrong with him. Nobody's talking. In the meantime, their plan B options are drying up.

[a700hitter]

It's at a point where Napoli increasingly looks risky. He could be a disaster, or he could hit a ton at Fenway next year--like he did last September after a terrible season.

 

They are gambling on a lot of money with this guy, considering the concerns they have about his hip.

 

It's possible the only team really interested in Napoli is Boston. But then, maybe not.

We don't know what's wrong with him. Nobody's talking. In the meantime, their plan B options are drying up.

You would have to think that Napoli's market has evaporated with all the talk about his hip. We are probably bidding against ourselves.

[jung]

You would have to think that Napoli's market has evaporated with all the talk about his hip. We are probably bidding against ourselves.

 

 

Sort of amazing how often this ends up being the case......still!

[SoxSport]

You would have to think that Napoli's market has evaporated with all the talk about his hip. We are probably bidding against ourselves.

 

Trying to piece together the current chatter: Jen Royle on twitter says Red Sox and Napoli aren't talking right now. Don't know what that means. Are they are going in a different direction? They certainly are exploring.

 

Cherington said pretty much the same thing on WEEI yesterday he's been saying--they're still interested in signing Napoli. He also said they still like Gomez and he will get a good look at 1B in ST.

 

They say they are interested in other names out there being mentioned, but their plan B options keep getting smaller, and they don't want to deal prospects. Gomez is an in-house option they can always fall back on, but he's still pretty much untested. I don't know if somebody like Smoak looks much better.

 

As an add-on here, Rosenthal says they have contacted the Nats about Morse. I understand he's a below-norm outfielder and barely average at 1B. But he might hit a ton in Fenway and is much cheaper than Napoli at $7mil for one year--then a FA? They are a good trade match with expendable LHP in BP.

[Lucienbel]

You would have to think that Napoli's market has evaporated with all the talk about his hip. We are probably bidding against ourselves.

 

Likely. I wish they would have backed away from him sooner and started looking at other options more seriously sooner as well. I can't really see a hip injury being a minor thing.

 

As for Gomez, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about him. My biggest problem with that is the team loses what is potentially a big bat in the lineup. By sealing up right field with Victorino and left field with Gomes/whoever else, you've pretty much left 1st base as the only position to add a middle of the order bat. If they do end up going Gomez at 1st, someone is really going to have to be a surprise or the middle of the order ends up looking awfully weak.

[seabeachfred]

Can't understand why people write off guys who have had just a cup of coffee up with the Red Sox, and haven't done half bad. You got to have a little bit of patience with these young guys who haven't been in the Show before. I saw this guy Gomez play a game at 1b, and he made a nice play on a grounder. That tells me he's not Dick Stuart. His minor league fielding numbers at 1B are decent. They are not at 3B, and naturally the Red Sox played him at 3B a few times last year.

 

Offensively, he's done well in AAA recently. MVP season. He comes up, hits .275, doesn't show much power in limited appearances.

 

He has done enough to deserve a further look--to see if he can show some Fenway pop.

You got to be persistent with these guys coming out of the minors. Teams like TB give their youngsters plenty of opportunity to succeed. While teams like the Red Sox keep signing

downside veterans, keeping younger players blocked. Baseball is a game of ability and confidence. It takes time to develop confidence going to the next level.

 

Sorry Sox Sport but I totally disagree. Gomez is a career minor league who I'm told signed out of the DR ten or 11 years ago. He is close to 29 years of age and has never shown much ML potential to warrant more than one or two cops of coffee. Yes, I agree you give your young prospects a chance but this is no prospect. He is a journeyman, pure and simple and a guy of his ilk does not suddenly become a standout prospect at his age. For guys like Boegarts, Brentz, Bradley Jr, Barnes, etc, yes, you give them an opportunity to show what they can do, which we did with Middlebrooks and hope to do with Lavarnway, but Gomez is a losing propostion. The guy is a fill in and nothing more and we can and must do better at the gateway than a g uy with little power, poor base running instincts and very litle experience to show that he is Major League player, which is what we need at first base.....someone also who has either some good power or who has proven he can hit over 300.

[mvp 78]

Gateway?

[seabeachfred]

Gateway?

 

Gateway is a baseball term referring to first base.....the gateway position. Glad to help increase your baseball lingo acumen. Keep in touch.

[jung]

Sort of sounds odd for both sides to be saying that they are not talking to each other at the moment. Just does not sound very optimistic. Usually one side or the other is trying to pump the tires a little bit anyway. I guess you would not be talking to each other if you did not have anything to talk about.

[Spitball]

This was Jim Bowden's take on Napoli in his most recent ESPN Insider column.

 

Mike Napoli | 1B/DH/C

The Boston Red Sox thought they had made a splash at this year’s winter meetings when they reached a tentative agreement with Napoli on a three-year, $39 million contract, pending a physical. However, when the physical showed a significant health risk/injury to his hip, the deal was never finalized.

 

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington reaffirmed to me yesterday Napoli’s status still is as a free agent, and he is free to sign with any of the 30 clubs. The Red Sox say their No. 1 goal remains to improve their offense at first base, and Napoli continues to be their first choice. The Red Sox and Napoli’s lead agent, Brian Grieper, continue to try and find some middle ground with which both sides can be satisfied. This means salary, length and language to protect the club all have to be worked out, a process that is not as simple as both sides would have liked.

 

Best fits: Red Sox, Orioles, Guardians

Prediction: I think this deal still gets done with the Red Sox.

[seabeachfred]

This was Jim Bowden's take on Napoli in his most recent ESPN Insider column.

 

I don't think it is going to get done Spitball. What's more the other options are going to dry up and once again the front office's plans will blow up in their faces as we are forced to go with the miserable Mauro Gomez on first base to open the season. Buy June with the team possibly in the toilet and Gomez costing us games in the field and at-bat, they will try to put Salty on first and that will fail too. I've never felt as pessimistic about our chances to solve this problem as I do now. Cherington will have pretty much undone most of the good work he accomplished so far this winter, and the press, the fans and the wolves will out in force demanding Cherington's scalp while my worst opinions about him flare out in the open.

 

To forestall that he must get his ass moving and sign or trade for a first baseman and do it by next week. This whole episode is so emblematic of the ineptness we've seen by those who run the team the past few years.

 

:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown

[jung]

They have dicked around with this thing for so long that I am inclined to think it will get done mainly for the reasons some have mentioned. I don't think Napoli has any other dance partners and to me the Sox are not really moving aggressively enough to find a replacement for Napoli.

 

At this point though while I am sure the Sox will not drop their insistence on some protection I am beginning to feel like the chances are very good that Napoli will not be able to keep that hip going for three years or maybe even two. As such even with some insurance against injury the Sox are likely to end up stuck having to find somebody to play the position once Napoli does go down..

[SoxSport]

http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2013/01/11/report-red-sox-want-to-make-mike-napolis-deal-for-one-year/

 

Bowden's latest this evening is the Red Sox want to limit Napoli's deal to one year guaranteed. Their concerns seem to be serious.

 

The one thing I'll say about Red Sox management is they really know how to piss away money. They're not sure the guy will last a year and they still want to give him $13 mil.

 

I say walk away. Trade for Morse.

[Spitball]

"The Red Sox and Napoli’s lead agent, Brian Grieper, continue to try and find some middle ground with which both sides can be satisfied. This means salary, length and language to protect the club all have to be worked out, a process that is not as simple as both sides would have liked."

 

This gives me hope. Neither side has a truly satifactory backup plan, so I believe it will happen. The whole process is taking some time because of the difficulty of the process.

 

It might fall through, but I don't see a scenario where someone steps in and lures Napoli away.

[Spitball]

Well, this does not sound quite as promising.

 

By Alex Speier

 

According to Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio (via twitter), the Red Sox want to reduce the three-year, $39 million deal with Mike Napoli to a one-year guarantee based on concerns about the catcher’s hip. Bowden tweeted: Red Sox would like to shorten their deal with Napoli to one-year to make sure the hip will be ok for 2 or 3 seasons without a lot of DL time

 

Napoli and the team agreed to the deal on Dec. 3. One week later, he underwent a physical in Boston that revealed concerns about his health.

 

The Sox, according to GM Ben Cherington on the WEEI Red Sox Hot Stove Show on Thursday, continue to talk with Napoli, which suggests that the team is “hopeful of being able to do something but we just don’t know yet. We’ll see how it plays out.”

 

Manager John Farrell reiterated that position on Friday.

 

“This isn’t like it’s a major surprise at this point. I have the utmost confidence that this question will be answered in due time. We’re working through it,” said Farrell. “We’re all well aware of the certain situation that’s still being worked through. I know Ben is doing whatever he possibly can so that when we report to spring training that we’ve got that position answered.”

 

In the past, the Sox have protected themselves from medical concerns with language that either permitted a year or years to be voided at the end of the contract should a specific injury impair a player’s availability (in the case of J.D. Drew) or that would allow the club to tack on an additional year at the major league minimum in case of a certain threshold of missed time (in the case of John Lackey).

 

The Sox do continue to explore other first base possibilities both in free agency and trade.

[SoxSport]

While the Red Sox are waiting for Napoli, their options are vanishing before their eyes. Morse will be gone shortly unless they get aggressive.

[mvp 78]

http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2013/01/11/report-red-sox-want-to-make-mike-napolis-deal-for-one-year/

 

Bowden's latest this evening is the Red Sox want to limit Napoli's deal to one year guaranteed. Their concerns seem to be serious.

 

The one thing I'll say about Red Sox management is they really know how to piss away money. They're not sure the guy will last a year and they still want to give him $13 mil.

 

I say walk away. Trade for Morse.

 

If they really wanted to piss money away, they would have just went through with the 3 year deal. They are being prudent here, imo.

[mvp 78]

While the Red Sox are waiting for Napoli, their options are vanishing before their eyes. Morse will be gone shortly unless they get aggressive.

 

Morse is on a 1 year deal, right? The Sox aren't going to the postseason this year. Trading for him would be a complete waste.

[Spitball]

Morse is on a 1 year deal, right? The Sox aren't going to the postseason this year. Trading for him would be a complete waste.

 

Right. Unless they can get him for non-prospects, I'd rather the Sox explore other options.

[User Name]

Kinda hoping they start the year with Gomez just to piss off Fred.

[Palodios]

Napoli on a one year deal seems unfair to the player. At the very least, they could tack on one, or maybe two vesting options based on games played.

[User Name]

That's why the article says one guaranteed year. Options are not guaranteed years

[jacksonianmarch]

One year for Napoli. I bet he's pretty peeved about this.

[jung]

Peeved or no that is somewhat more disconcerting than at least what I had heard previously. They started at 3 years, then 3 year with language, then 2 years, no language ( at least that is what was reported) but in reality they want to offer him 1 year!!!! Holy Cow. I would bet that at 1 year, Napoli has got his agent hunting in earnest for a deal with somebody else. Can't get shorter than 1 year. While it is guaranteed, Napoli is likely underwhelmed I would think.