Somehow this winter Mike Napoli, a man who has played 511 of his 727 career games as a catcher, is being revered as a free-agent first baseman.
Either that is a shining example of how versatile of a player Napoli is, or an indictment on how poor the free-agent market is in terms of first basemen this winter.
If you chose the latter, you’re correct.
The Boston Red Sox have already deemed Napoli worthy of a three-year and $39 million contract. Well, sort of.
I should say that they’ve deemed a healthy Mike Napoli worthy of such a contract.
In recent weeks, questions have arisen surrounding the health of his hip, specifically, the pen has yet to meet paper in four weeks because the Red Sox want language in the contract to protect them should Napoli become sidelined due to a preexisting hip injury.
While those contract negotiations have been running at a snail’s pace, the Red Sox have been kicking the tires on other first base options, specifically Adam LaRoche, as described by ESPN Boston.
Don’t worry Red Sox Nation, Napoli is still a priority, though.
Who then would represent a better option for a team like the Red Sox?
Let’s take a closer look.