The defending champions are bringing back one of their most notables beards in the form of Mike Napoli after agreeing on a two year deal worth $32 million which was first reported by Rob Bradford of WEEI.
You might remember that after he originally signed in December, a hip issue altered the deal from a three year contract to a one year deal in January. So, after it is all said and done – Napoli winds up with the Red Sox for three total years.
Napoli played first base and hit .259 with 23 HR and 92 runs driven in for the champions.This signing comes just five days after Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino was quoted as saying,
“One of the lessons I learned a long time ago was that you can’t fall in love with your veterans; you can’t do that, that’s not the way to run the railroad. We are not going to be a stand-pat team. That’s just not the way we run the railroad here.”
“That’s probably a losing proposition every year. Every year has to have its own personality. Every year will have a different personality, composition as well as personality.”
With Ellsbury on the move, many people thought this was a sign that Napoli could be on his way out after reports surfaced that he was looking for a three year contract. He did however embody the personality that many credit with bringing the clubhouse together on their way toward the championship.
However, their options at 1B were very limited – so Napoli likely does give them the best production possible at 1B moving forward.
