Mike Napoli –> Red Sox
Just a quick update on the free agent most often linked with the M’s: Mike Napoli just signed a three year, $39m deal with the Boston Red Sox. I know signing a C/DH/1B wasn’t the most popular idea around the M’s blogosphere, so for everyone who was nervous about blocking Jaso/Zunino, congratulations! For everyone who sees this as further proof of the M’s ownership driving the franchise into the ground with their miserly spending, please write long, irate comments somewhere else.
Mike Napoli never really made a ton of sense here. More than Russell Martin, but that’s not saying a whole lot. It just never made sense that he’d come here absent a clear overpay, and given that the M’s have John Jaso and Mike Zunino, the M’s never seemed like a good candidate to overpay him. Well-played to his agent or whomever stoked the virtual fire about the M’s kicking the tires, and it’s not like the rumors were totally fabricated – Napoli came to Seattle and met with the FO. But Dave’s reminder’s a good one: the point of Napoli’s trip to Seattle wasn’t to kindle some hope in M’s fans, it was an attempt to make Boston nervous. Whether it worked or not is somewhat irrelevant; he didn’t get the fourth year he was after, but his AAV was a bit higher than I thought it’d be, so that’s essentially a wash.
Well then. I wonder if another catcher will be brought in, or if Montero will be (to Dave’s endless frustration) tried at catcher once more in a tandem with Jaso until Zunino gets here.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Napoli plays well and earns his contract in Boston. He was never really a good fit for the M’s.
So far it looks like Jack Z has been making the media circuit at the Winter Meetings. Gogogo!
I’m glad Boston kept him out of Seattle and out of Texas. It’s an overpay but the flood of new media money makes that inevitable. Now if the Dodgers will just keep Grienke away from the Angles and Texicans it will help our cause a bit – hopefully.
No real surprise. The M’s don’t need a catcher. Montero/Zunino/Jaso should do just fine in 2013.