602 replies to this topic

[Savin Hillbilly]

Lackey on Napoli: "We've been recruiting him last few weeks. I'm glad it worked out. A great addition to the club."

In spite of this, I still like the signing.

Seriously though, while I think this signing makes most sense if Napoli is going to play 1B nearly all the time, it's interesting that of the six catchers Lackey has thrown at least 100 innings to in his career--including two of the Molina brothers, as well as Mathis, Salty and Victor--he has the lowest OPS allowed when throwing to Napoli: .693.

[erfus]

This could work out ok, but this is a pretty risk signing. The above avg. number of LHP in the division offsets some of that I guess. Can he hold up physically even if he's at 1B? He's yet to get 500 AB and only exceed 400 once in 7 years. 118 games started ever at first base...maybe I'm focusing more on the downside but seems to me like the players brought in so far are more like the kinds of players Lou Gorman favored. Or maybe it's prudent and getting Ross, Gomes, Napoli are the value signings they prefer and make sense given where they are in the process.

I think the 1B thing is more a concern than how effective he'll be against RHP. For his career, he has a 498 SLG and an 845 OPS against RHP. He actually had a reverse split last season which is atypical. But, this gives me a little bit of pause (all #s are from baseball-reference.com):

2012:
as C: OPS 850 in 278 PAs
as 1B: OPS 715 in 79 PAs

2011:
as C: OPS 1.142 in 243 PAs
as 1B: OPS 896 in 110 PAs

Career:
as C: OPS 879, OBP 362 in 1953 PAs
as 1B: OPS 802, OBP 328 in 475 PAs
as DH: OPS 996, OBP 392 in 186 PAs

Looking at that, I also wonder if he'll last as a productive bat playing 1B nearly everyday.

[geoduck no quahog]

Can anyone get his 1b UZR breakdown? It would be interesting to see how he fares to his right (and left). I think the above average arms of Iglesias and Pedroia will minimize his need for saves, but that may be just wishful thinking.

So, who backs up 1B now? (Swisher?)

I like 3 catchers. A PH/PR for Lavarnway or Ross is now on the table every game.

[JakeRae]

I think the 1B thing is more a concern than how effective he'll be against RHP. For his career, he has a 498 SLG and an 845 OPS against RHP. He actually had a reverse split last season which is atypical. But, this gives me a little bit of pause (all #s are from baseball-reference.com):

2012:
as C: OPS 850 in 278 PAs
as 1B: OPS 715 in 79 PAs

2011:
as C: OPS 1.142 in 243 PAs
as 1B: OPS 896 in 110 PAs

Career:
as C: OPS 879, OBP 362 in 1953 PAs
as 1B: OPS 802, OBP 328 in 475 PAs
as DH: OPS 996, OBP 392 in 186 PAs

Looking at that, I also wonder if he'll last as a productive bat playing 1B nearly everyday.

The simplest explanation is not that Napoli performs worse as a 1B but that he, like most humans, performs worse when asked to move outside of his comfort zone. (Also, the majority of the performance difference is BABIP driven between 1B and C and is likely illusory.) He has never been a primary 1B and the vast majority of his career and training have come as a C. This season will be different. He probably has already been informed that he will be a full time starting 1B. He can begin to mentally and physically prepare himself for that task now, will have a full Spring Training of exclusive, or virtually exclusive, focus on 1B, and will play the postion every day rather than sporadically once the season begins. It is logical that he will be able to make this adjustment and become comfortable at 1B. On the other hand, this may not be an instant transformation and he may struggle a bit offensively in the Spring as he gains comfort with his new position.

The above point about having been mainly a catcher is also relevant in regards to his playing time throughout his career. Over the last 3 seasons, Napoli ranks 10th amongst all catchers in number of PA and in games played. He is not a fragile player, nor does he have a bad injury history. He is a player who has primarily been a catcher and whose playing time has suffered because of that and because teams did not trust his defense at the position. He has had some minor muscle injuries and sprained ankles that have landed him on the DL for short stints during his career, but nothing that should be of serious concern.

Needless to say, I like this signing. Napoli is possibly the best bat that was available this offseason (Hamilton and Swisher are the only other contenders) and he came at a very reasonable price tag in both dollars and years. Cherrington is off to a good start this offseason and has delivered a far more encouraging performance than last year.

[drbretto]

Streaky hitter had kind of a weird year.

Doesn't that more or less explain the splits between the teams? Or at least isn't that as reasonable a guess as any other? We can sit here trying to find patterns in the noise all day but I don't think there's necessarily any data here.

Edited by drbretto, 03 December 2012 - 05:58 PM.

[OttoC]

...
I like 3 catchers. A PH/PR for Lavarnway or Ross is now on the table every game.

Yeah, half the bench is made up of catchers.

[SoxLegacy]

I am on board with this--fills a need with a good bat and doesn't hurt the Sox with the dollars or years.

[Norm Siebern]

I absolutely love this signing. He is the the one guy I really hoped for this winter, and they got him. This winter is a winner for me based on this alone. Napoli will hit 30 HRs playing half his games at Fenway.

Wonderful signing.

[DanoooME]

In spite of this, I still like the signing.

Seriously though, while I think this signing makes most sense if Napoli is going to play 1B nearly all the time, it's interesting that of the six catchers Lackey has thrown at least 100 innings to in his career--including two of the Molina brothers, as well as Mathis, Salty and Victor--he has the lowest OPS allowed when throwing to Napoli: .693.

Wouldn't surprise me if Napoli becomes Lackey's personal catcher, getting him (hopefully) 30 starts behind the plate. - Hopefully meaning Lackey gets 30 decent starts.

I'm meh about the deal. It could have been a whole lot worse. But it does fill a big hole in the lineup and hopefully he does end up adapting well to Fenway. It's good the years are relatively short and the AAV isn't too bad. Can he be a 3-4 win player each year of his contract? That would be worth it.

Napoli's significant injury history, because it has to be a concern the guy has had 500 PAs in the majors exactly once and that was 510.

15 day DL stints: July 2007 (16 days, high ankle sprain), July-Sept 2007 - 10 days after the last stint (35 days, strained right hamstring), July-August 2008 (33 days, shoulder inflammation), June-July 2011 (22 days, oblique strain), August-Sept 2012 (36 days, quad strain).

Other significant notes: 2008-9 offseason (shoulder debridement)

Info is courtesy of Baseball Prospectus player cards.

It's not a great history, but not Lowrie-esque either.

[Adirondack jack]

How much better is Napoli at first than Ortiz?

Sure, Ortiz is coming off injury, is advancing in age and never was good at first. My assumption is Napoli a few shades worse defensively than Millar (unsure if that's fair). But if Napoli is a butcher out there and has trouble staying healthy* is there a point where mixing Papi in at first makes sense?



*Napoli probably could have had more seasons of 500 ABs if Scioscia had not refused to play him over Mathis for years.

[SoxScout]

He has been on the DL 2 times in the last 4 years, and has legendary toughness according to some TEX beat writer that was on CSNNE tonight.

He apparently could hardly walk with such a bad high ankle sprain in the 2011 World Series when he went insane at the plate that it never fully recovered and he was getting treatment for it until last summer.

[HriniakPosterChild]

I would sign a free agent pitcher with a reasonable FIP...I am ASSuming that Farrell will untrack Lester....

Why would Farrell want to get Lester off the track?

[Sprowl]

Wiktor Napoli, the fungible backstop. Napoli was a surprisingly competent catcher as well as slugger during Texas' 2011 playoff run, but that will very likely prove the pinnacle of his career. Middlebrooks throws wide more often than low and Iglesias throws high more often than low, so Napoli's reach should be more important than his scoop.

I hope Napoli hits well at Fenway because if he does not, he won't have much value. The same goes for Gomes. After ignoring home-park advantage by signing Crawford (and paying for it big time), the team has discarded the notion of pursuing elite athletes and returning to finding Fenway hitters, value and talent notwithstanding. Look for a bigger home advantage, and a bigger road deficit, in 2013.

[MikeM]

Seeing the word "overpay" getting casually thrown around here, on a 3/39 contract for a potential cleanup hitter who can catch, makes me question just how out of touch some are becoming with the reality extending beyond the realm of hypothetical value analysis. It's free agency, and if you are not developing your own, real players/real opportunities cost real money. I mean if Mike Napoli getting Torii Hunter money is an overpay here, what did one honestly think he was going to realistically cost?

Pretty solid deal as a whole here imo, given the need and my expectation of it coming down to a fourth year (which i wasn't too crazy about), or at least some form of one. In fact, and as far as big ticket signings go, i'm probably sitting here feeling better about this deal then i was with any of the others in recent memory. Pretty much extending back through most of the Theo Epstein era at that.

[Drek717]

Interesting thing I noticed going over Napoli's splits:
2012 Home/Road splits:
H - .212/.338/.447
R - .243/.348/.491

2011 Home/Road splits:
H - .307/.414/.597
R - .332/.414/.663

So in his two years at Arlington he actually had worse numbers at home and that was almost entirely based on slugging. In 2012 he had a .010 swing in OBP but a .044 point swing in SLG. In 2011 his OBP was the same but his .066 point swing in SLG.

So while Arlington is universally accepted as a major hitters park, somehow Mike Napoli has been better on the road than at home. Bodes well for him replacing Arlington with Fenway where he's got a terrific history of success, if over a small sample. He has 145 ABs against the Red Sox, 73 in Fenway. So with a 1.075 OPS against total and a 1.107 OPS against in Fenway over his career we can do a little math and find his away from Fenway OPS to be roughly 1.042. Even given the issues of Red Sox pitching the last couple years, especially against Texas, that is still a .065 OPS bump in Fenway.

That, plus the high probability that his 2012 LHP numbers were an aberation. He's a career 0.911 against lefties, versus an 0.845 OPS against righties. So another split where he's historically a .066 better hitter.

These are a couple of the trends that make me think the Sox are signing Napoli at just the right time when his numbers look to have a lot of upward potential in them.

[Trlicek's Whip]

Streaky hitter had kind of a weird year.

Doesn't that more or less explain the splits between the teams? Or at least isn't that as reasonable a guess as any other? We can sit here trying to find patterns in the noise all day but I don't think there's necessarily any data here.

The data point that reminds me that the game threads will be unreadable at certain times next year is his contact rate. That's why he's streaky.

70% is his orbit. But when it puffs up even slightly? With his power the difference in the HR numbers is substantial.

Regarding contact rates, Napoli and Jonny Gomes are very similar hitters. As was Jason Bay's full season with the Sox in 2009.

Edited by Trlicek's Whip, 04 December 2012 - 09:48 AM.

[Eric Van]

This makes terrific sense if they're trading Saltalamacchia for a SP or RF and getting Morneau or the equivalent to play 1B. The 1B can platoon with Ross, with Napoli playing 1B vs. LHP. Napoli is, weirdly, not a defensive downgrade at C, the toughest spot to fill offensively, but he is one at 1B, the easiest spot. He is immensely more valuable at C than 1B.

You can think of this as signing a guy who is already the player we dream Lavarnway becomes, in order to give the latter another year of development time. The current lineup is merely decent no matter who you pencil in in RF, but replace Salty's bat with a middle-of-the-order one like Morneau, and it's back to becoming the sort of deadly lineup we're used to:

Ellsbury
Pedroia
Morneau
Ortiz
Napoli
RF (Swisher? Choo?)
Middlebrooks
Gomes / Nava-Kalish (on road vs RHP)
SS

That is a lineup that scores enough runs to contend with, even if SS = Iglesias.

[bosockboy]

I'll try and find the link, but Morneau apparently isn't available and his name has been ice cold, which lends credence to that.

I think it's generally accepted that Napoli is our 1B, outside of maybe being Lackey's personal catcher.

[Drek717]

This makes terrific sense if they're trading Saltalamacchia for a SP or RF and getting Morneau or the equivalent to play 1B. The 1B can platoon with Ross, with Napoli playing 1B vs. LHP. Napoli is, weirdly, not a defensive downgrade at C, the toughest spot to fill offensively, but he is one at 1B, the easiest spot. He is immensely more valuable at C than 1B.

You can think of this as signing a guy who is already the player we dream Lavarnway becomes, in order to give the latter another year of development time. The current lineup is merely decent no matter who you pencil in in RF, but replace Salty's bat with a middle-of-the-order one like Morneau, and it's back to becoming the sort of deadly lineup we're used to

What role are you suggesting for Lavarnway? Another year in AAA?

The set up you're outlining could work if against lefties they sat Morneau, started Napoli at 1B and Lavarnway at C, assuming his right handedness will produce stronger numbers against lefties. If the idea is to send Lavarnway back to the minors though, I don't really see the point. Its time for him to shit or get off the pot when it comes to handling MLB pitching, both in the batter's box and behind the plate. Penciling him in as the starter for 3 out of 5 games through until at least early to mid-June should be an all but decided by now. If he fails then you consider Napoli at C and make a mid-season trade for someone like Morneau.

Also, last season he had a 114 wRC+, Adrian Gonzalez had a 115 wRC+. In his big 2011 season he had a 177, Gonzalez had a 154. Napoli's career wRC+ is 128, Adrian Gonzalez's is 133. He might be a net downgrade from Gonzalez at 1B, but that downgrade was happening anyway short of us trading for Prince Fielder or something equally crazy. Napoli would still give us very good 1B offense if he's healthy and anything close to his career norms.

[C4CRVT]

Maybe they haven't decided yet and are waiting to see what develops in other markets. Napoli certainly gives them a lot of options

[MoGator71]

What role are you suggesting for Lavarnway? Another year in AAA?

The set up you're outlining could work if against lefties they sat Morneau, started Napoli at 1B and Lavarnway at C, assuming his right handedness will produce stronger numbers against lefties. If the idea is to send Lavarnway back to the minors though, I don't really see the point. Its time for him to shit or get off the pot when it comes to handling MLB pitching, both in the batter's box and behind the plate. Penciling him in as the starter for 3 out of 5 games through until at least early to mid-June should be an all but decided by now. If he fails then you consider Napoli at C and make a mid-season trade for someone like Morneau.

Also, last season he had a 114 wRC+, Adrian Gonzalez had a 115 wRC+. In his big 2011 season he had a 177, Gonzalez had a 154. Napoli's career wRC+ is 128, Adrian Gonzalez's is 133. He might be a net downgrade from Gonzalez at 1B, but that downgrade was happening anyway short of us trading for Prince Fielder or something equally crazy. Napoli would still give us very good 1B offense if he's healthy and anything close to his career norms.

They could conceivably trade Salty for Floyd, send Lavarnway down, and set up a platoon where Morneau plays 1B vs. righties with Napoli catching, and Napoli plays 1B vs. lefties with Ross catching. Not saying that's the plan, because we've heard zip about Morneau's availability (Mauer yes, but nothing on Morneau), but it's an obvious solution and would certainly create a potent offense (depending on who ends up playing RF).

[Drek717]

They could conceivably trade Salty for Floyd, send Lavarnway down, and set up a platoon where Morneau plays 1B vs. righties with Napoli catching, and Napoli plays 1B vs. lefties with Ross catching. Not saying that's the plan, because we've heard zip about Morneau's availability (Mauer yes, but nothing on Morneau), but it's an obvious solution and would certainly create a potent offense (depending on who ends up playing RF).

I addressed that in the second paragraph. Lavarnway spending more time in AAA does absolutely nothing for him. He's hit AAA pitching just fine, its time for him to show he can hit MLB pitching.

[Super Nomario]

I addressed that in the second paragraph. Lavarnway spending more time in AAA does absolutely nothing for him. He's hit AAA pitching just fine, its time for him to show he can hit MLB pitching.

The goal isn't to do what's best for Lavarnway, it's to do what's best for the Red Sox.

[MoGator71]

I addressed that in the second paragraph. Lavarnway spending more time in AAA does absolutely nothing for him. He's hit AAA pitching just fine, its time for him to show he can hit MLB pitching.

That's true. Or they could trade him. Going into this offseason I was pretty comfortable with giving Lavarnway a shot, but with the FO apparently looking to be aggressive re: contending this year rather than looking long term at '14 or even '15 I'm not sure how comfortable they are going into '13 with an unproven Lavarnway as their starting C.

What I think they'll probably do is give Lavarnway a shot, and if he fails go out and find a competent 1B hopefully on the cheap and catch Napoli a lot.

[Savin Hillbilly]

... with the FO apparently looking to be aggressive re: contending this year rather than looking long term at '14 or even '15 I'm not sure how comfortable they are going into '13 with an unproven Lavarnway as their starting C.

OTOH, that's exactly what they appear to be planning to do at SS. I guess you could say a catcher has a broader influence on the game than a shortstop, though, so there's more at stake when you roll the dice with an unproven young player.

If they trade both Salty and Lavarnway, and go with Napoli/Ross at C and Napoli/? at 1B, who's #3 on the C depth chart? Butler?

[Red(s)HawksFan]

That's true. Or they could trade him. Going into this offseason I was pretty comfortable with giving Lavarnway a shot, but with the FO apparently looking to be aggressive re: contending this year rather than looking long term at '14 or even '15 I'm not sure how comfortable they are going into '13 with an unproven Lavarnway as their starting C.

What I think they'll probably do is give Lavarnway a shot, and if he fails go out and find a competent 1B hopefully on the cheap and catch Napoli a lot.

What exactly have they done so far this off-season that says they aren't looking long term at 2014 or beyond? Three acquisitions, none of which block nor cost them any prospects with potential to crack the lineup in 2014 or later, nor are any of the contracts long enough or rich enough to be considered unmovable should the need arise.

I don't see how being aggressive toward contending in 2013 and planning long term are mutually exclusive.

[Snodgrass'Muff]

I don't see how being aggressive toward contending in 2013 and planning long term are mutually exclusive.

They're not. This is probably the best approach they could have taken. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if this is going to be how future off seasons play out as well... mostly short term contracts with some risk to supplement home grown talent.

I'm sure they'll do the due diligence on any big time free agent that hits the market, but short term deals provide roster flexibility over the long haul and as they are proving right now, you can still land impact players on shorter deals even if the elite aren't likely to give in.

Of course, if Bogaerts and Bradley don't pan out and become stars, they'll have to consider being more aggressive in the free agent market down the road, but I like the idea of this team focusing on drafting well, developing their own young stars or trading for them and using free agency as a way to fill in the roster around them.

[Drek717]

The goal isn't to do what's best for Lavarnway, it's to do what's best for the Red Sox.

Sure, but I fail to see how sending a 25 year old catcher with a minor league career OPS of .882 (including over 600 ABs in AAA at an OPS of .893) back to AAA is what's best for the Red Sox.

They need to find out if Lavarnway is just a AAAA superstar or if he can bring his well rounded offensive game to the majors. If so he's a valuable player, period. If he can do it while staying behind the dish he's a potential all-star in the making. I just don't see what else he's got to prove in AAA and his development could be a major part of the Red Sox future.

That's true. Or they could trade him. Going into this offseason I was pretty comfortable with giving Lavarnway a shot, but with the FO apparently looking to be aggressive re: contending this year rather than looking long term at '14 or even '15 I'm not sure how comfortable they are going into '13 with an unproven Lavarnway as their starting C.

What I think they'll probably do is give Lavarnway a shot, and if he fails go out and find a competent 1B hopefully on the cheap and catch Napoli a lot.

Well, until they acquire a new starting 1B to bump Napoli back to C I'd say the answer is "as comfortable as possible". The rumors of them shopping Salty are far too strong to not have some fire behind all that smoke. They also dropped talks with LaRoche once they signed Napoli, so the intent there seems pretty clear as well.

The setup they look to be shooting for (Lavarnway as the starting C, Napoli as the starting 1B, David Ross as the backup C) is as safe as you can make starting a rookie. If Lavarnway struggles early he can split time with a solid veteran in Ross. If he struggles worse than that we can augment Ross' starts with Napoli. If Lavarnway completely flames out but we're highly competitive otherwise we can add a player at either C or 1B and resolve the void created. If he's a stud who demands more playing time though it doesn't devalue Napoli and his new contract, and it doesn't eat terribly into David Ross' ideal role since even the best catchers need ~30 games off a year.

The only thing that would make this daisy chain approach to roster building even more layered with protections would be adding Swisher for RF, since he could be Napoli's fill in at 1B, then extending the search for anyone who could fill C, 1B, or RF should Lavarnway fail.

[OttoC]

...
Of course, if Bogaerts and Bradley don't pan out and become stars, they'll have to consider being more aggressive in the free agent market down the road,...

Not necessarily. What if they are a bit better than average at the plate and field well? Is there any need to replace a solid player with a star? If the rest of the team is playing above their level then perhaps you'd want to upgrade but otherwise it is business as usual in trying to upgrade the substandard parts.

[Snodgrass'Muff]

Not necessarily. What if they are a bit better than average at the plate and field well? Is there any need to replace a solid player with a star? If the rest of the team is playing above their level then perhaps you'd want to upgrade but otherwise it is business as usual in trying to upgrade the substandard parts.

I didn't mean they'd need to hit the free agent market to replace those players specifically, just that they would have added incentive to try and land a young start and would be more likely to do so through free agency.

[TheYellowDart5]

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe
Farrell says Napoli will be the primary 1B with the ability to catch.#redsox

https://twitter.com/...077412465401856

[MHead81]

Morneau apparently isn't available and his name has been ice cold, which lends credence to that.

Right on cue...

(Minnesota is guaging interest on Morneau.)

[mabrowndog]

Speier

Catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli, who agreed with the Red Sox on a three-year, $39 million deal earlier this week, is expected to fly into Boston for his physical and a subsequent introductory press conference next week, according to industry sources.

[teddywingman]

I like this move a lot. Napoli is going to mash at Fenway. Not sure about him as a catcher--not that he'll see a ton of action behind the plate--but as far as I'm concerned, you can't really downgrade from Saltalamachia.

To my eye Salty was brutal, and a major factor in how the pitching staff performed.

Saltalamachia: 852 innings, 4.84 ERA, .270 BA, .779 OPS

Shoppach: 370 innings, 3.77 ERA, .237 BA, .688 OPS

and every other statistic across the board. That can't be coincidence.

Hopefully he's traded and the Sox can acquire something of value because he hit 25 homeruns.

[Cellar-Door]

To my eye Salty was brutal, and a major factor in how the pitching staff performed.

Saltalamachia: 852 innings, 4.84 ERA, .270 BA, .779 OPS

Shoppach: 370 innings, 3.77 ERA, .237 BA, .688 OPS

and every other statistic across the board. That can't be coincidence.

Breaking it down by pitcher:
Lester was much worse with Salty,
Beckett was better with Salty,
Buchholz was much worse with Salty,
Doubront was pretty similar either way,
Morales was better with Salty,
Melancon was terrible with Salty good with Shoppach and terrific with Lavarnway,
Miller was better with Salty,
Tazawa the same with everyone,
There is a pretty good chance it is in fact coincidence, but if it isn't the differences were only with certain pitchers, and could be due to other variables we haven't included.

[Sprowl]

Napoli is one of those Fenway hitters that's too good to miss out on. Every time I see him, he pulls flyballs. Anybody physically capable of catching can become a good first baseman with practice. As an occasional DH, he is a valuable weapon too. The chance that he could catch, and catch more frequently during playoffs, adds to his value. I, for one, welcome Wiktor Napoli.

Breaking it down by pitcher:
Lester was much worse with Salty,
Beckett was better with Salty,
Buchholz was much worse with Salty,
...

1) still here, for now
2) gone to California with an aching in his heart
3) still here and likely to stay

It would be interesting to be the fly on the wall when the Red Sox analysts review their in-house metrics on catching defense, but Salty doesn't look long for the team.

[Edelpeddle]

It would be interesting to be the fly on the wall when the Red Sox analysts review their in-house metrics on catching defense, but Salty doesn't look long for the team.

Couldn't agree more with this. IMO, there's no way the Red Sox do not trade Salty this year because of this.

[Kramerica Industries]

in jeopardy?

http://msn.foxsports...jeopardy-121112

[ThatsMyPeskyPole]

Sports writer with time on his hands?

[SoxScout]

That story literally says nothing.

And this part:

Initial reports from ESPN.com and the Providence Journal said that Napoli’s physical was scheduled for last Wednesday, with an announcement expected at week’s end.

is just wrong. The Red Sox front office went from Nashville to Florida for organizational meetings. He was never being introduced last week.

Edited by SoxScout, 11 December 2012 - 08:08 PM.

[geoflin]

If this is true it helps to explain the continuing interest in Swisher.

[Harry Hooper]

That story literally says nothing.

And this part:

is just wrong. The Red Sox front office went from Nashville to Florida for organizational meetings. He was never being introduced last week.

Right, but Rosenthal notes Victorino is scheduled to have a Wednesday physical and an intro the next day. He also notes Napoli's physical happened more recently than the other reports indicated, but there's been no intro yet.

Looks like something's popped up with Napoli's physical. Maybe the delay has to do with a second opinion.

[pjr]

Rosenthal might be on to something.

Jen Royle‏@Jen_Royle
No comment “@CHERRYINGTON: @Jen_Royle What is this I hear the Napoli deal could fall apart because of his physical? You got anything?”

[SoxScout]

Rosenthal update:

Napoli actually began his physical Monday morning, according to a source. The deal, however, is still not official.

The horror.

Edited by SoxScout, 11 December 2012 - 08:54 PM.

[Corsi]

God, Jen Royle is annoying.

[SoxScout]

God, Jen Royle is annoying.

There were actually high hopes for her when she came here, since then there has been a million women hires at NESN/CSN and EEI passed her over, endless tweets complaining/fighting about one thing or another, and now some apparent start up baseball website.

bradfo: As @Ken_Rosenthal reported, Red Sox sailed past two scheduled Press Conferences for Napoli. Friday was said due to illness. Other one today.

Edited by SoxScout, 11 December 2012 - 09:07 PM.

[mabrowndog]

Finally, a voice of reason:

Chris Hatfield @SPChrisHatfield
I wouldn't worry about Napoli press conference delay. Was scheduled before Rosario waiver claim. I'm guessing it's a 40-man issue.

Chris Hatfield @SPChrisHatfield
The Gomes announcement got delayed for similar reasons. Wasn't official for 10 days after he agreed to terms.

Chris Hatfield @SPChrisHatfield
The Sox 40-man roster is at 39, and Napoli, Victorino, and Uehara all need to be added. Trade could be in the works?

Edited by mabrowndog, 11 December 2012 - 09:17 PM.

[Harry Hooper]

OK, then Victorino's intro likely won't happen on Thursday either.

[Rasputin]

Is there some rule that you can't have the press conference before you file the paperwork with MLB?

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

God, Jen Royle is annoying.

If her tweets are annoying, one can only imagine what you will say when you hear her speak.