Sources say Napoli signs with Sox.

[jung]

I agree with virtually all of the comments since I posted my radio talking heads post. As disgusted as I have been with the FO lately, if they thought Napoli or some combination of Napoli and Victorino were going to move tickets, shame on them....AGAIN. No way that was going to happen.

 

Are they suddenly realizing that Napoli is a little more of an overpay than they should have made if nobody is really moving aggressively on Hamilton? I guess that might be a possibility but boy would they end up looking like a bunch of buffoons if they literally backed out on that score...Holy Cow!!!

 

I thought right from the point that the Rangers set the tone publicly announcing an unwillingness to offer Hamilton more than 3 years that the bidding would consolidate around 3 years and the sparsity of teams that would be involved would make it hard to break that log jam. I think it likely that he will draw 4 years with an outside chance at 5 and not a snowballs chance in hell of getting more than 5.

 

But all of that should have been known to the Sox and I hope it was. Most of us knew Napoli would not draw out the ticket buyers and the Hamilton would not draw big years nor many participants.

[Bellhorn04]

Radio talking heads talking about Sox pulling out of Napoli deal cause he has not created any buzz at all and they did not expect that. That probably means Napoli does not appear to be moving the ticket sales like at all.

 

Also I guess the reports are that Hamilton has not as yet been offered four years from anybody yet. Apparently he has not seen an offer over three years yet. So suggestions that the Sox are possibly trying to back out of Napoli to take a serous run at Hamilton.

 

That seems beyond absurd to me. I can't see them backing out unless there's a medical issue.

[iortiz]

Wow, this FO is unbelievable.

[DocHolliday]

This FO is the Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight. They look more and more like buffoons with each passing day. If they signed Mike Napoli with the hope that he would create buzz, they are a bunch of jokers. It's a solid baseball move, but not a headline grabber.[b/]

 

IMO, they shouldn't be trying to create "buzz" as much as they should be trying to make solid baseball moves. Making more of the solid baseball moves than the poor baseball moves to create offseason "buzz", as they have in recent years, will be a step towards generating the only buzz that really matters in the long run. Thats an exciting, winning baseball team in the regular season that begins as a team that can compete for a playoff spot, and eventually becomes a perennial playoff participant with a chance to win the WS.

 

Moves like the Bauer trade are the types of moves this team should be involved in when they are in the position they are in. To our knowledge, they haven't been involved with nearly the amount of moves many of us expected them to be in, based on the results on the field AND their own admissions regarding improvement. Their recent track record putting together teams (on the field, but with off the field distractions in recent years) takes the benefit of the doubt away for the majority of the fans until they prove otherwise capable.

[jung]

Well I would take what the Radio talking heads have to say with a grain of salt. However I have not been happy with what I have been seeing and have said so. Where I agree with the talking heads is in what I posted a couple weeks ago. It did not make sense to me to overpay for Napoli and players of his ilk when you really were not going to put the team in position to win in 2013 anyway. If you are going to overpay for the Napolis of the world, pass on him and really go big or go home by making a serious run at Hamilton.

 

Rarely do you see a market as soft as it is for a player of Hamilton's calibre. Funny how his post season performance and demeanor appears to have really had an impact on his value in the market and the complete post season disaster that was Swisher seems to have not had the same impact on him. I think the combination of Hamilton's post season plus and probably more significantly the Rangers early comments on Hamilton have really hurt him. But that looks like an opportunity to me.

 

Give me Hamilton plus the kids plus some pitching gambles (many of which are already off the board) and I would have been happy with that. Would have been an interesting team to watch in 2013 and a good way to set up for 2014 and 2015. This "strategy" they appear to be following appears to neither be fish or fowl, neither aggressive enough nor conservative enough, not focused enough on either the present OR the future....but more of what looks like an organization that does not know what it wants to do or what it should do and cannot decide one way or the other.

 

Plus that Napoli hip issue really really bothers me. If that think really flares up, he could easily be gone for an entire season and then where are you.

[DocHolliday]

This "strategy" they appear to be following appears to neither be fish or fowl, neither aggressive enough nor conservative enough, not focused enough on either the present OR the future....but more of what looks like an organization that does not know what it wants to do or what it should do and cannot decide one way or the other.

 

I'd be willing to bet their discussions of which strategy to take are very similar to the debates WE are having on this board about what they should do - because there is no clear answer.

 

There's nothing wrong with having internal discussions and debates about what direction should be taken - as long as it doesn't interfere with collaborating together and adapting the strategy as the market unfolds on a unified front.

 

At this point, we all should hope that they are keeping quiet as a posture to add leverage to whatever their plan is. But our collective brains can't give them the benefit of the doubt that we could in 08 or even 09, when they were coming off a great run of more than a couple of seasons.

[jung]

By the way...I have no interest in Hamilton cause he will create Buzz. I think Hamilton can be the center piece to a legit 2014 and 2015. However you need to sign him for 2013 to have him for 2014 and 2015. I do think it would be a much more interesting team to watch in 2013 with Hamilton and that is fine by me but I really want him as a cornerstone for the years that follow.

[SoxSport]

And now they are close to signing Dempster, Mr Mediocrity. Why the hell they want this guy I'll never know. He's worse than what they have. He did pitch for Henry's Marlins a million years ago.

[jung]

I am looking at the moves they are making and suggesting they are not indicative of a plan that makes sense. We can talk and it does not effect anything. They have to act. They have to take a direction cause they have the job.

 

Dragging that tired old Dempster deal out of the closet scares the s*** out of me. They have to drag that deal out to make a play for a pitcher? What the hell is that? That is just one example but you can make a case for all the actual moves that they are making that they do not suggest a cohesive plan. You can say the same for some of the moves that they are not making. The two moves they have made so far that you could rationalize are Victorino cause he frees you to deal Ells and Ross cause Sox catching has been s***. Napoli does nothing for me. Gomes does nothing for me.

 

And

 

This ******** effort with regard to the pitching is suggestive that we are going to get another bunch of annual dregs in here only even worse than last year's crop plus dragging the Dempster deal out of the closet scares the living crap out of me.

[DocHolliday]

As an aside, my frustration with the organizations approach to improving the pitching has helped stray this thread into an unrelated topic - so I'll try to steer it back.

 

I'm beginning to feel that the FO needs to give some more idea as to the holdup of this deal. 2007 was many years ago, but if I remember correctly, the public was pretty much aware of the fact that the holdup in Drew's announcement was the medical language and that there was a team of doctors and lawyers who spent the better part of December and January hashing it out.

 

To the best of my understanding, we have no definitive reason as to why the Napoli deal is being held up. It's seems necessary at this point for a report to come out that ends the confusion.

[Lord Snow]

I am looking at the moves they are making and suggesting they are not indicative of a plan that makes sense. We can talk and it does not effect anything. They have to act. They have to take a direction cause they have the job.

 

Dragging that tired old Dempster deal out of the closet scares the s*** out of me. They have to drag that deal out to make a play for a pitcher? What the hell is that? That is just one example but you can make a case for all the actual moves that they are making that they do not suggest a cohesive plan. You can say the same for some of the moves that they are not making. The two moves they have made so far that you could rationalize are Victorino cause he frees you to deal Ells and Ross cause Sox catching has been s***. Napoli does nothing for me. Gomes does nothing for me.

 

And

 

This ******** effort with regard to the pitching is suggestive that we are going to get another bunch of annual dregs in here only even worse than last year's crop plus dragging the Dempster deal out of the closet scares the living crap out of me.

 

This team is a sinking ship. It's like they're trying to fill the roster with the cheapest priced major league talent that they can find and put them on short-term contracts.

 

Ken Rosenthal actually came out today and said the Red Sox outfield looks set for the season. That means they're serious about starting Jonny Gomes 150+ games next season.

 

They'll piss more money away on Dempster. A guy who got unequivocally rocked in the AL. Probably give him 3-years $39M too and get 200 inning and an ERA north of 5.5 over the duration of the deal.

 

The worst thing is we will probably see Josh Hamilton sign for $20M per season elsewhere, continue to be a great hitter, and we will be stuck watching a declining Shane Victorino, and a declining/injured Mike Napoli for $26M per year.

[jung]

I would believe that it is the med issue specifically the hip that is holding up Napoli. However what did all of that negotiating save the Sox with regard to Drew? In his case it was the shoulder right? I think Drew successfully danced around that issue for almost the entire time he was here even with all of that negotiation. I honestly think the only way to deal with these sort of issues is in the base contract. Sign the guy based on what you think he is worth, include the risk factor if there is one that relates to an existing injury and be done with it. All this dancing around gets them nothing.

 

The only one of these contracts that has put something tangible in the Sox pocket has been the Lackey contract as I recall.

[Lord Snow]

I would believe that it is the med issue specifically the hip that is holding up Napoli. However what did all of that negotiating save the Sox with regard to Drew? In his case it was the shoulder right? I think Drew successfully danced around that issue for almost the entire time he was here even with all of that negotiation. I honestly think the only way to deal with these sort of issues is in the base contract. Sign the guy based on what you think he is worth, include the risk factor if there is one that relates to an existing injury and be done with it. All this dancing around gets them nothing.

 

The only one of these contracts that has put something tangible in the Sox pocket has been the Lackey contract as I recall.

 

Yeah. And it's not even a good clause. We get Lackey and his now bum arm for an extra year at $500K. Woo hoo. :/

 

It would be one thing if the contract could be voided in the event of an injury but that's not the case. If they've got enough concerns about Napoli that they're worried about his health over the next 3 years I'd rather they not sign him, sounds to me like they're setting themselves up for disappointment.

[seabeachfred]

Would you not think the rotation to be significantly better than last year if they added Edwin Jackson and Shawn Marcum plus a couple of depth guys like Jair Jurrjens and Dallas Braden?

 

I would think so. Now i'm not saying that's what they will do, but it's definitely what they should do.

 

The way they're going, I say that most likely they won't do it and we will be dumpster diving again for the type of trash that waylaid us last season. Your posts are always hard hitting but I do get irritated as your continued defending of the our seemingly inept front office. This is the same crap I heard from you last off season, and when the season exploded early and we were left in the crapheap you conveniently scurried off the board and not seen again until the end of the season. If things end up the same way again, I expect that this time you will stay on board, show some guts and courage and face the music. OTOH, if things work out differently and the team flourishes because of the things you said and that the front office did so, well, I'll be the first to send a pile of kuddos your way.

[NZSox]

I see it now, Sox FO backs out of Napoli deal, Napoli goes elsewhere, comes to Fenway for important game next season with a big chip on his shoulder, hits many HRs, Sox lose.

[seabeachfred]

Breaking News: The Red Sox have just announced that they have traded Mike Napoli to the Cubs for Sandy Rosario.:lol:

 

Sounds like something our front office boobs would do. I'm really craning my brain trying to think of any other front office that has been as inept and screwed up as our has been the past four seasons. I've come up with a bum in a number of front offices but none with the pile of assbutts that our is honeycombed with. They are simply pathetic.

[a700hitter]

Sounds like something our front office boobs would do. I'm really craning my brain trying to think of any other front office that has been as inept and screwed up as our has been the past four seasons. I've come up with a bum in a number of front offices but none with the pile of assbutts that our is honeycombed with. They are simply pathetic.

When the off season started, I was prepared to take a wait and see attitude. I figured that Cherries was handcuffed last year. With all the new payroll flexibility, I expected him to come out swinging. It took a while, but then he did the Napoli, Victorino and Uehara deals in a 4 day span so I thought we would start to see a plan take shape. Since then, we've watched pitcher after pitcher get signed or traded by other teams, we are rumored to be talking to Ryan Dempster even though he already turned down 2 years/$26 million.. Are you kidding? That's a very bad plan. Now, there are rumors that the Napoli deal might be falling apart. The only way to describe the state of the FO based on the available news is that it is in disarray. Hopefully, they surprise us, but the signs are not encouraging.

[jung]

Damn I forgot about Uehara which could work out pretty good for us. Without much help coming for the rotation the pen is going to need all the help it can get. I don't envy them their position though. Probably going to end up with their arms draggin' again this year.

[User Name]

Sounds like something our front office boobs would do. I'm really craning my brain trying to think of any other front office that has been as inept and screwed up as our has been the past four seasons. I've come up with a bum in a number of front offices but none with the pile of assbutts that our is honeycombed with. They are simply pathetic.

 

Take some Midol, urgently.

[User Name]

The way they're going, I say that most likely they won't do it and we will be dumpster diving again for the type of trash that waylaid us last season. Your posts are always hard hitting but I do get irritated as your continued defending of the our seemingly inept front office. This is the same crap I heard from you last off season, and when the season exploded early and we were left in the crapheap you conveniently scurried off the board and not seen again until the end of the season. If things end up the same way again, I expect that this time you will stay on board, show some guts and courage and face the music. OTOH, if things work out differently and the team flourishes because of the things you said and that the front office did so, well, I'll be the first to send a pile of kuddos your way.

 

"Conveniently scurried"? Are you for real? This is a message board and i was preparing a master's thesis. Should i have stopped doing my research in order to come here and read every idiotic diatribe you post? Honest question.

[mvp 78]

My assbutt is killing me.

[mvp 78]

"Conveniently scurried"? Are you for real? This is a message board and i was preparing a master's thesis. Should i have stopped doing my research in order to come here and read every idiotic diatribe you post? Honest question.

 

s*** SBF didn't stick around the whole season himself. Wtf?

[User Name]

s*** SBF didn't stick around the whole season himself. Wtf?

 

And he doesn't want people to attack his fandom after he rooted for like 10 teams before the Sox, yet he's attacking a fan born into Sox fandom like me.

 

Yeah i brought it up.

[mvp 78]

The second PG was banned, SBF took his ball and went home. Now he's calling out other posters for not being around everyday. I just can't understand what is going on here sometimes...

 

Note: I'm leaving for FL today and will be gone until Monday. If I don't post, it's not because I'm less of a Sox fan or am scared to contribute on here. (I hope that covers me from the glares of some of the older gentlemen on here...)

[User Name]

The second PG was banned, SBF took his ball and went home. Now he's calling out other posters for not being around everyday. I just can't understand what is going on here sometimes...

 

Note: I'm leaving for FL today and will be gone until Monday. If I don't post, it's not because I'm less of a Sox fan or am scared to contribute on here. (I hope that covers me from the glares of some of the older gentlemen on here...)

 

I should have posted a disclaimer like this one to avoid attacks to my fandom.

[jung]

Big brother is always watching MVP. If you stray to close to the trop I am sure it will be reported here.

[mvp 78]

Big brother is always watching MVP. If you stray to close to the trop I am sure it will be reported here.

 

I'll be on the East Coast of FL, honest!!!

 

I promise to say at least 5 Hail Papi's and 2 Pedro's Prayers everyday while I'm gone...

[Lucienbel]

The way they're going, I say that most likely they won't do it and we will be dumpster diving again for the type of trash that waylaid us last season. Your posts are always hard hitting but I do get irritated as your continued defending of the our seemingly inept front office. This is the same crap I heard from you last off season, and when the season exploded early and we were left in the crapheap you conveniently scurried off the board and not seen again until the end of the season. If things end up the same way again, I expect that this time you will stay on board, show some guts and courage and face the music. OTOH, if things work out differently and the team flourishes because of the things you said and that the front office did so, well, I'll be the first to send a pile of kuddos your way.

 

I don't necessarily see all User Names posts as defending the front office and this team all the time either. I think he's trying to have a positive attitude about the team he likes a lot of the time. Watch out. It's better than say, complaining about things that haven't even happened yet.

[NZSox]

Sorry everyone, very busy with work lately so no time to go back and read through, but what exactly is the hold up with the Napoli deal??

[mvp 78]

Sorry everyone, very busy with work lately so no time to go back and read through, but what exactly is the hold up with the Napoli deal??

 

Workingbout injury language in the contract? No one is reporting any details, not even the amazing Jen Royle. She broke the signing, but hasn't reported jack on the situation. Shocker...