Napoli Hunt

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absintheofmalaise

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According to Alex Speier, Mike Napoli will receive a QO today of $14.1mm and will have seven days to decide to accept or reject the offer.  
 
 
 
According to a baseball source, the Red Sox will make a one-year, $14.1 million qualifying offer to free agent first baseman Mike Napoli by the 5 p.m. deadline to do so today. If Napoli accepts the qualifying offer (which represents the average of the top 125 salaries in baseball in 2013), then he would return to the Red Sox in 2014 for a raise over the $13 million he received in 2013 (a one-year, $5 million base salary with roster incentives that added an additional $8 million to the deal). If he declines, then he can continue to negotiate with all 30 teams, including the Red Sox. If, however, Napoli signs with a team other than the Sox, then because of the qualifying offer, the Sox would receive a compensatory draft pick between the first and second rounds of the draft.
 
 
The impact of the qualifying offer is thus twofold. Not only does it ensure that the Sox would receive a draft pick if the first baseman leaves; by virtue of the fact that a team that signs Napoli would need to give up a draft pick, it also could decrease the market for his services, thus potentially increasing the likelihood that the Sox will be able to bring him back. 
 
 

PrometheusWakefield

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I'm not as certain as others have been that Napoli declines the QO.  His degenerative hip condition obviously throws a wrench into the works and makes him different from just another guy with his numbers and at his age.  Once the QO is down, would you be interested in spending a draft pick in addition to a 3 year / $36m commitment on Napoli?  I don't see it.  My guess is that the Napoli and the team negotiate intensely over the next seven days and end up avoiding a decision on the QO with an extension in the realm of 2 yrs / $24.  
 

Average Reds

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The qualifying offer serves the Sox' interests well here.  Nap played such a strong first base that I'd be happy if they went year-to-year or even 2/28.  Beyond that would seem to be a bit risky given that his hip condition remains unchanged.
 
Of course, this all assumes that Napoli survived the weekend...
 

Monbo Jumbo

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While the QO may decrease the market for his services, it's not like he's going to lose the shirt off his back.
 
 
 
oh wait...
 

dynomite

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PrometheusWakefield said:
I'm not as certain as others have been that Napoli declines the QO.  ...  My guess is that the Napoli and the team negotiate intensely over the next seven days and end up avoiding a decision on the QO with an extension in the realm of 2 yrs / $24.
I disagree with the first sentence, but agree with the second.

Napoli is a 31-year-old coming off a season in which he was fully healthy (most ABs of his career), played stellar defense, put up an .842 OPS, and got crucial postseason hits. If he's ever going to cash in, now's the time.

Overall, though, I would be surprised if he wants to go elsewhere, especially with no true other 1B options in the Red Sox system. I'm expecting something like 2 years/$26 million, with a team option for a 3rd or a hefty buyout.
 

rembrat

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His hip condition (death sentences in baseball), his 208 strikeouts on the season (21 in the postseason) and the draft pick will scare many if not all teams. I would be shocked if there is a market for him at this point.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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dynomite said:
Napoli is a 31-year-old coming off a season in which he was fully healthy (most ABs of his career), played stellar defense, put up an .842 OPS, and got crucial postseason hits. If he's ever going to cash in, now's the time.
 
Napoli is a bit of a special case with the avascular necrosis hanging over his head, I think.  In any other circumstance, I'd agree that he is primed to cash in big this winter.  But the question is, will any team be willing to throw that cash at him if there's a fair chance he can't finish the first season healthy, let alone the entire contract?
 
He wasn't in Boston a one-year, make-good contract like Drew (or Beltre way back when) in order to prove he could be healthy and productive. He was 100% asymptomatic when they signed the deal.  It was only a one year deal because the team didn't want to be on the hook for additional years of dead money if his hip went.  That he lasted the full season with no issues proved nothing with regard to the necrosis.  There is absolutely no guarantees of a two year contract out there for him, let alone anything longer.  And any deal beyond one year probably will have to be laced with incentives and out clauses just like his deal this year.  The QO may very well be the best he's going to get in guaranteed money.
 

ivanvamp

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I actually think he'll take the QO, when all is said and done.  I bet they negotiate all this week, but can't come to terms on a multi-year deal, so he takes the $14 million and has another happy year in Boston.  Fourteen million guaranteed is nothing to sneeze at.
 

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rembrat said:
His hip condition (death sentences in baseball), his 208 strikeouts on the season (21 in the postseason) and the draft pick will scare many if not all teams. I would be shocked if there is a market for him at this point.
 
I agree with you in principal, but I could see some team desperately in need of a 1B offering 2/28, with a percentage of the second year based on PAs. Napoli would have an incentive to take that kind of a deal because in the case of total breakdown in 2014, he'd at least get some cash in 2015 - and if he goes all the way it's a fair deal. 
 
That said, Nap really likes Boston and is on WS high.  If he's really thinking about his baseball mortality (which so many don't) he might be thinking of the possibility of a back to back WS run to close out his career.
 

Plympton91

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Rovin Romine said:
 
I agree with you in principal, but I could see some team desperately in need of a 1B offering 2/28, with a percentage of the second year based on PAs. Napoli would have an incentive to take that kind of a deal because in the case of total breakdown in 2014, he'd at least get some cash in 2015 - and if he goes all the way it's a fair deal. 
 
That said, Nap really likes Boston and is on WS high.  If he's really thinking about his baseball mortality (which so many don't) he might be thinking of the possibility of a back to back WS run to close out his career.
 
It's an interesting point as to how much the possibility of back-to-back WS is tied to the decisions of the team and the other 3 free agents, or at least the perception of that probability by a veteran.  If Napoli comes back but Drew, Ellsbury, and Salty all leave to be replaced by rookies, does a veteran like Napoli see that as decreasing the likelihood of another run next year and reduce the attractiveness of a return engagement?  I know SOSH thinks that Bogaerts, Bradley and Lavarnway are mortal locks to produce immediately similar results as the people they're probably replacing, but maybe a major league baseball player has a different opinion of a team's likelihood of hitting a trifecta with unproven talent, two of whom have flopped in their initial attempts to jump to the majors.
 

Apisith

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If the deal is structured in a way that allows a team an out if the hip condition gets worse, I don't see why he won't get something similar to what he got last year, especially after playing very good defense at a new position. I would say there's a real chance he gets that deal from us, too. What has changed since last year? He's one year older but his OPS was close to his career average and he played better first base than most of us expected. If the contract has an out for the hip condition, I would be okay with 3/$39m.
 

Apisith

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Let me make my case for 3/$39m, too: he put up 4.1 bWAR last year. Assume age-related decline, he puts up 3.5, 3 and 2.5 over the next three years. That's 9 wins, with a win these days going for $4.5-5m. That's pretty much $40m, plus or a minus a few million. This probably happens because no other team will want to give up a draft pick to sign him even if the contract has an out because the draft pick is irretrievable but for us, if we get an out in the contract, it would be a fair deal for both sides.
 

rembrat

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Apisith said:
If the deal is structured in a way that allows a team an out if the hip condition gets worse, I don't see why he won't get something similar to what he got last year, especially after playing very good defense at a new position. I would say there's a real chance he gets that deal from us, too. What has changed since last year? He's one year older but his OPS was close to his career average and he played better first base than most of us expected. If the contract has an out for the hip condition, I would be okay with 3/$39m.
 
They initially agreed to 3/39 back in December before they tore it up because of his hip and after a year and 14 million removed you want to offer the same deal again? That's... strange. 
 
Rovin Romine said:
 
I agree with you in principal, but I could see some team desperately in need of a 1B offering 2/28, with a percentage of the second year based on PAs. Napoli would have an incentive to take that kind of a deal because in the case of total breakdown in 2014, he'd at least get some cash in 2015 - and if he goes all the way it's a fair deal. 
 
 
Why don't you list out the teams that you see interested in Napoli? That will give us something to talk about.
 

Rovin Romine

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rembrat said:
 
Why don't you list out the teams that you see interested in Napoli? That will give us something to talk about.
 
I don't have any - just pointing out that it's possible to come up with a deal other than the $14.1 that Napoli might take.  Hence my bolding of "could."  
 
Although, like you, I don't think the Sox or anyone else offers 3/39.   
 

Apisith

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The Pirates, Rangers, Mariners and Nats could all be interested. They all have the money and the need. Nats have Laroche who is shit but only under contract for one more year, Mariners have a hole at a first because Smoak sucks and the Pirates also have a hole there because Morneau isn't a long term solution.

My scenario assumed an out in the contract. I was thinking something along the lines of the extra year at minimum pay in Lackey's deal if he had elbow surgery but for Napoli's case, the contract would be void if his condition worsened. That kind of 'out' would protect us in case it happened in the first or second year of the deal. If he plays out his contract then assuming he declines as outlined above, he would still be worth 3/$39m.

Edit: Added last sentence.
 

Homar

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Why not a three year deal with a series of mutual options that would permit the Sox an out if the hip implodes, and Napoli an out if some other team offers multiple years at big money?  Spreads the risk, doesn't commit either party to an iron-clad agreement, and basically honors the positive relationship that both sides appear to be feeling toward the other at this point.  Sort of analogous to Wakefield's last contract but with mutual outs.  
 
Would add that I'm comfortable at QO figures for such an agreement.
 

TomRicardo

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Homar said:
Why not a three year deal with a series of mutual options that would permit the Sox an out if the hip implodes, and Napoli an out if some other team offers multiple years at big money?  Spreads the risk, doesn't commit either party to an iron-clad agreement, and basically honors the positive relationship that both sides appear to be feeling toward the other at this point.  Sort of analogous to Wakefield's last contract but with mutual outs.  
 
Would add that I'm comfortable at QO figures for such an agreement.
 
Because what is the difference between that and offering QO every year for the Red Sox?
 

absintheofmalaise

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Homar said:
Why not a three year deal with a series of mutual options that would permit the Sox an out if the hip implodes, and Napoli an out if some other team offers multiple years at big money?  Spreads the risk, doesn't commit either party to an iron-clad agreement, and basically honors the positive relationship that both sides appear to be feeling toward the other at this point.  Sort of analogous to Wakefield's last contract but with mutual outs.  
 
Would add that I'm comfortable at QO figures for such an agreement.
I might be confused here, but are you saying that another team could offer Napoli a contract while he's under contract to the Sox? Because that is tampering and frowned on just a bit by MLB. Forgive me if I read that wrong.
 

CSteinhardt

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YTF said:
Could it be as easy as the Sox offering the balance of what they offered last off season? Yeah I know the hip shouldn't be ignored, but it wasn't an issue this season and IF he passes the physical.............
 
The deal last season was $5M guaranteed, but then with $8M in incentives based upon either being on the active roster or plate appearances.  He ended up getting the full $13M.
 

MoGator71

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TomRicardo said:
 
Because what is the difference between that and offering QO every year for the Red Sox?
 
Or between that and what they did this year with the low base and games-played incentives?
 
The Sox (and the rest of MLB) weren't willing to do 3/39 with the hip issues last offseason, and nothing's changed since then. The QO is a better deal for Napoli than what he got last year, I think he either takes it or if the Sox are feeling generous they might go 2 years. But that's it.
 
I hope he takes the QO, either he holds up all year or the hips blow up and they find a righty bat to platoon with Carp and move on. This is actually a great situation for the Sox if they can go year to year with him, because hip or not there's always a chance he deteriorates into a Mark Reynolds K-machine, and you'd like not to be on the hook for multiple years if that happens.
 

Homar

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absintheofmalaise said:
I might be confused here, but are you saying that another team could offer Napoli a contract while he's under contract to the Sox? Because that is tampering and frowned on just a bit by MLB. Forgive me if I read that wrong.
Your objection to what I wrote is spot on.  What I meant was to give Napoli an option out of the deal if he wanted to seek a deal with another team.  I realize that a team cannot offer a contract to a play who is already under contract with another team.  But I was trying to imagine a situation in which both the Sox and Napoli could have a year to year agreement that didn't need to be renegotiated from scratch each year that provided both with some security and with an out for each side.  Perhaps it is not different than a QO each year.  But it seems that there is some genuine good will between both Nap and the Sox, along with some cause for genuine concern, and I was just looking for a deal that honors all of that.  
 

PrometheusWakefield

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Homar said:
Why not a three year deal with a series of mutual options that would permit the Sox an out if the hip implodes, and Napoli an out if some other team offers multiple years at big money?  Spreads the risk, doesn't commit either party to an iron-clad agreement, and basically honors the positive relationship that both sides appear to be feeling toward the other at this point.  Sort of analogous to Wakefield's last contract but with mutual outs.  
 
Would add that I'm comfortable at QO figures for such an agreement.
Napoli couldn't field offers from other teams until after he declined such an option in that scenario.  
 
Plympton91 said:
 
It's an interesting point as to how much the possibility of back-to-back WS is tied to the decisions of the team and the other 3 free agents, or at least the perception of that probability by a veteran.  If Napoli comes back but Drew, Ellsbury, and Salty all leave to be replaced by rookies, does a veteran like Napoli see that as decreasing the likelihood of another run next year and reduce the attractiveness of a return engagement?  I know SOSH thinks that Bogaerts, Bradley and Lavarnway are mortal locks to produce immediately similar results as the people they're probably replacing, but maybe a major league baseball player has a different opinion of a team's likelihood of hitting a trifecta with unproven talent, two of whom have flopped in their initial attempts to jump to the majors.
I think the pressure of the QO decision makes it highly likely that Napoli is the first to decide one way or the other.
 

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YTF said:
Could it be as easy as the Sox offering the balance of what they offered last off season? Yeah I know the hip shouldn't be ignored, but it wasn't an issue this season and IF he passes the physical.............
 
What does that even mean? You think the necrosis has gone away by divine intervention?
 

HriniakPosterChild

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Apisith said:
The Pirates, Rangers, Mariners and Nats could all be interested. They all have the money and the need. Nats have Laroche who is shit but only under contract for one more year, Mariners have a hole at a first because Smoak sucks and the Pirates also have a hole there because Morneau isn't a long term solution.

My scenario assumed an out in the contract. I was thinking something along the lines of the extra year at minimum pay in Lackey's deal if he had elbow surgery but for Napoli's case, the contract would be void if his condition worsened. That kind of 'out' would protect us in case it happened in the first or second year of the deal. If he plays out his contract then assuming he declines as outlined above, he would still be worth 3/$39m.

Edit: Added last sentence.
 
Good luck getting that clause past the MLBPA.
 

jscola85

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Yeah, non-guaranteed salaries are just a non-starter for the MLBPA.  Best bet is the Lackey route where you could get a "free" year out of him if he missed time due to injury.  That or you set a team option to be automatically picked up based on number of games played in the prior year.
 

dynomite

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rembrat said:
His hip condition (death sentences in baseball), his 208 strikeouts on the season (21 in the postseason) and the draft pick will scare many if not all teams. I would be shocked if there is a market for him at this point.
I really think you're underestimating Napoli's market coming off this amazing season. Remember, teams like the Mets and Rockies have protected 1st Rounders this year.

Cafardo (I know, I know) already interviewed an "anonymous GM" who thinks someone might give him 3 years:

“If the Red Sox don’t tie him up for three years, someone will,” the GM said. “He’s a power right-handed bat. If the risk of his hip condition getting worse is minimal, and that’s what everyone would have to find out, the right-handed power bat is pretty enticing.” Earlier this month, Joel Sherman of the New York Post opined Napoli could sign a three-year, $39 million deal this winter.
http://metsblog.com/metsblog/mike-napoli-could-net-a-three-year-deal-on-the-free-agent-market/

And MLB Trade Rumors agrees, even with the hips and draft picks:

I think a qualifying offer can knock a year off a player's contract, as it seemingly did with Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, so two years and $28MM is the floor for Napoli. Ultimately I predict Napoli will land a three-year, $42MM deal.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/09/free-agent-profile-mike-napoli.html

Apisith said:
The Pirates, Rangers, Mariners and Nats could all be interested. They all have the money and the need. Nats have Laroche who is shit but only under contract for one more year, Mariners have a hole at a first because Smoak sucks and the Pirates also have a hole there because Morneau isn't a long term solution.
I'll add that I think the Mets could be the frontrunners for Napoli if he hits the market.

1) Because of their abysmal finish, they've got a protected high 1st rounder.

2) They have a TON of money to spend, with Santana's final year at $5M (as opposed to $25M in '13), Bay off the books, etc.

3) They have a serious need at 1B. Ike Davis was a disaster (.205/.326/.334), part of the reason the Mets had the 2nd worst OPS in the NL this season.
 

mauidano

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Red Sox press conference going on with Ben and Farrell on MLB.tv.
 
QO made to Napoli, Drew and Ellsbury FWIW.
 

YTF

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What does that even mean? You think the necrosis has gone away by divine intervention?
Is that what you took from my post? I could/should have been clearer. What I mean is the condition didn't appear to hamper Napoli last season. New contract is going to require a physical, yes? If the condition hasn't worsened I could see it as reasonable for the Sox to offer something similar to the balance of the original 3/$39 million.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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dynomite said:
I'll add that I think the Mets could be the frontrunners for Napoli if he hits the market.

1) Because of their abysmal finish, they've got a protected high 1st rounder.

2) They have a TON of money to spend, with Santana's final year at $5M (as opposed to $25M in '13), Bay off the books, etc.

3) They have a serious need at 1B. Ike Davis was a disaster (.205/.326/.334), part of the reason the Mets had the 2nd worst OPS in the NL this season.
Rightly or wrongly, there's a good chance that they'll talk themselves into Lucas Duda as the answer at 1B. I think if the Mets sign one of our players, its much likely to be Drew than Napoli.
 

seantoo

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Red(s)HawksFan said:
 
Napoli is a bit of a special case with the avascular necrosis hanging over his head, I think.  In any other circumstance, I'd agree that he is primed to cash in big this winter.  But the question is, will any team be willing to throw that cash at him if there's a fair chance he can't finish the first season healthy, let alone the entire contract?
 
He wasn't in Boston a one-year, make-good contract like Drew (or Beltre way back when) in order to prove he could be healthy and productive. He was 100% asymptomatic when they signed the deal.  It was only a one year deal because the team didn't want to be on the hook for additional years of dead money if his hip went.  That he lasted the full season with no issues proved nothing with regard to the necrosis.  There is absolutely no guarantees of a two year contract out there for him, let alone anything longer.  And any deal beyond one year probably will have to be laced with incentives and out clauses just like his deal this year.  The QO may very well be the best he's going to get in guaranteed money.
Don't forget about the timing of the deal. Most free agents had signed, and it was during the physical to approve the 3 year deal that his hip condition made anyone aware he even had a pre-existing hip condition. Teams will certainly be willing to sign him to a multi-year deal with a clause protecting them against his pre-existing condition as the Sox did with both JD Drew and John Lackey. Chances are this will all be moot, and he'll sign a deal with us that will be mutually beneficial to both parties involved.
 

absintheofmalaise

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YTF said:
Is that what you took from my post? I could/should have been clearer. What I mean is the condition didn't appear to hamper Napoli last season. New contract is going to require a physical, yes? If the condition hasn't worsened I could see it as reasonable for the Sox to offer something similar to the balance of the original 3/$39 million.
The Sox examined his hip(s) a couple of months ago and found that his condition had not deteriorated. 
 

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Plympton91 said:
It's an interesting point as to how much the possibility of back-to-back WS is tied to the decisions of the team and the other 3 free agents, or at least the perception of that probability by a veteran.  If Napoli comes back but Drew, Ellsbury, and Salty all leave to be replaced by rookies, does a veteran like Napoli see that as decreasing the likelihood of another run next year and reduce the attractiveness of a return engagement?  I know SOSH thinks that Bogaerts, Bradley and Lavarnway are mortal locks to produce immediately similar results as the people they're probably replacing, but maybe a major league baseball player has a different opinion of a team's likelihood of hitting a trifecta with unproven talent, two of whom have flopped in their initial attempts to jump to the majors.
You don't know anything of the kind. If you really do believe this, as opposed to your usual snarky strawman, I challenge you to conduct a poll.
 

chrisfont9

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Plympton91 said:
 
It's an interesting point as to how much the possibility of back-to-back WS is tied to the decisions of the team and the other 3 free agents, or at least the perception of that probability by a veteran.  If Napoli comes back but Drew, Ellsbury, and Salty all leave to be replaced by rookies, does a veteran like Napoli see that as decreasing the likelihood of another run next year and reduce the attractiveness of a return engagement?  I know SOSH thinks that Bogaerts, Bradley and Lavarnway are mortal locks to produce immediately similar results as the people they're probably replacing, but maybe a major league baseball player has a different opinion of a team's likelihood of hitting a trifecta with unproven talent, two of whom have flopped in their initial attempts to jump to the majors.
I can't imagine Napoli taking this view. If your point is that veteran guys like a veteran core to stay together, I would imagine Napoli sees 20 or so returning players -- from a World Champion roster -- and is perfectly OK with the team's direction. I think it takes a Marlins-style selloff for potential free agents to turn away from a successful team. This isn't the NBA, where Bosh, Wade and LeBron all agree to meet up on a roster someplace.
 

MoGator71

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mauidano said:
Red Sox press conference going on with Ben and Farrell on MLB.tv.
 
QO made to Napoli, Drew and Ellsbury FWIW.
 
And not Salty? Shocking.
 
Edit: Discussed in the Salty thread.
 

BosRedSox5

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I'd be surprised if there wasn't a market for Napoli. I mean, it's 2013, not 1999. Napoli's offensive numbers are pretty strong in this day and age. He just played in a ton of games and he's a really good defensive player. Some would argue that he was a major snub for the gold glove at 1B. Sure, his hip issue will keep teams from signing him to long term deals but all it takes is a few lines in a contract to give a team an out clause if and when his hip condition ends his career.
 
Still, he likes it in Boston. I think a two or three year deal with performance incentives and an injury clause probably gets it done.
 

twothousandone

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Apisith said:
The Pirates, Rangers, Mariners and Nats could all be interested.
But none were interested when all they had to do was top a $5 million/$8 million deal. If he declines, they don't have to top $14 million, but you'd think that's what's required to get him to sign -- and now it'll cost a pick. Given that the Sox were unwilling to commit more than $5 million a year ago, a $14 million offer is a HUGE jump. And whatever disappointment he had a year when his $39 million contract offer was rescinded, he didn't whine publicly, and obviously entered the season ready to play. Accepting all the risk in year two, IMO, is a bold enough move by the Sox to get Napoli to respond by accepting.
 

cannonball 1729

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twothousandone said:
But none were interested when all they had to do was top a $5 million/$8 million deal. If he declines, they don't have to top $14 million, but you'd think that's what's required to get him to sign -- and now it'll cost a pick. Given that the Sox were unwilling to commit more than $5 million a year ago, a $14 million offer is a HUGE jump. And whatever disappointment he had a year when his $39 million contract offer was rescinded, he didn't whine publicly, and obviously entered the season ready to play. Accepting all the risk in year two, IMO, is a bold enough move by the Sox to get Napoli to respond by accepting.
 
Yeah, this is what I'm having trouble with.  Last year, the hip thing spooked teams to the point that no one topped the Sox $5 mil guaranteed.  Now they're offering 3/$39 when he's a year older?
 

CaskNFappin

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Not that he's a lock to resign, but I think its a safe bet given his public admission to wanting to stay in Boston.  I'm sure we'll offer something fair, with respect to market value, that has plenty of contractual language to protect against hip deterioration.  Of our major free agents, he's the most likely to stay put.
 

rembrat

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cannonball 1729 said:
 
Yeah, this is what I'm having trouble with.  Last year, the hip thing spooked teams to the point that no one topped the Sox $5 mil guaranteed.  Now they're offering 3/$39 when he's a year older?
 
It's the Mike Lowell winning a championship high that makes people want to dish out contracts like there going out of style. There is virtually no need to give Mike Napoli an extra year or 2 or 3 (seriously?) when you can have him for 1.
 

radsoxfan

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There's no guarantee the 1B market is the same this year as last. Prices could go up, different teams may be involved...but for the sake of argument, we have a good baseline for Napoli, which is 3/39.
 
He hit about to his career norms, albeit with more K's and a potentially lucky BABIP.  He is also 1 year older.
 
The 2 biggest new variables since his prior contract
 
1) He seems to be an above average defender at 1B.  I doubt many teams expected that coming into the season
 
2) THE HIP
 
I wrote something about his hip in a previous, apparently defunct Napoli thread recently, but overall I think it's very hard for us to know from the outside how teams feel about it now.  I think the supposed stability can only be looked at favorably, but its still a very hard disease to project, so it will be up to the team's medical staffs to decide how to approach it.  
 
Having said that, IF a team medical staff is willing to sign off on something along the lines of "minimal risk", I could see him getting something around 3/39 again.  Without more info, that would make me nervous though, especially if there weren't some built-in playing time related vesting options involved.  
 

Green Monster

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Does Napoli accepting the QO preclude a multi-year deal later in the off-season?
 
I think a deal similar to last years, with a few tweaks, would make sense.....  Increase the guaranteed base from $5M to $10M and additional $4M available in incentives based on PA, along with a vesting option at the same money for 2015 that is triggered if he does not spend X  # days on the DL with hip related issues.  Could even add a 2016 vesting option based on the absence of a 2015 hip related DL stint.......iirc Sox had a clause like that with JD Drew
 

JimBoSox9

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Does Napoli accepting the QO preclude a multi-year deal later in the off-season?



Are there times when teams cannot offer new contracts to their own players already under contract?
 

mBiferi

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But none were interested when all they had to do was top a $5 million/$8 million deal. If he declines, they don't have to top $14 million, but you'd think that's what's required to get him to sign -- and now it'll cost a pick. Given that the Sox were unwilling to commit more than $5 million a year ago, a $14 million offer is a HUGE jump. And whatever disappointment he had a year when his $39 million contract offer was rescinded, he didn't whine publicly, and obviously entered the season ready to play. Accepting all the risk in year two, IMO, is a bold enough move by the Sox to get Napoli to respond by accepting.
 
According to Speier, there was a lot of interest in Napoli after the 3/39 deal fell apart:

 
"When the original three-year deal fell apart and you're talking about a one-year deal, then every team that had interest and some that didn't have initial interest came calling. There were some teams at the end that were interested in him on a one-year deal," said Grieper. "I think at one point, Mike was ready for the process to be over. He wasn't sure where he was heading for spring training. He was working out. At one point he said to me, let's finish this up here. There's no reason to continue to drag this out. We're going to be in good shape mentally and physically."
It was late January, and spring training was starting to creep into view. It was time for him to commit to a team.
 
 
http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/alex-speier/2013/04/19/uncertainty-red-sox-fixture-mike-napoli-and-hi
 
I think Napoli declines the QO and we sign him on a 2/24ish deal. Its not a long term commitment for us and Napoli pretty much gets the deal he had signed last year.
 

Green Monster

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JimBoSox9 said:
Are there times when teams cannot offer new contracts to their own players already under contract?
I don't believe so.....several comments up thread about the need to aggressively negotiate during the next week to avoid the QO decision.  I didn't understand where that was coming from.
 

Apisith

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But none were interested when all they had to do was top a $5 million/$8 million deal. If he declines, they don't have to top $14 million, but you'd think that's what's required to get him to sign -- and now it'll cost a pick. Given that the Sox were unwilling to commit more than $5 million a year ago, a $14 million offer is a HUGE jump. And whatever disappointment he had a year when his $39 million contract offer was rescinded, he didn't whine publicly, and obviously entered the season ready to play. Accepting all the risk in year two, IMO, is a bold enough move by the Sox to get Napoli to respond by accepting.


The situation has changed a lot for all those teams since a year ago and Napoli now has established a good baseline performance for his defense at 1B. The Pirates got better quite fast, maybe they are thinking of going for it. The Rangers, Mariners and Nats are all in different situations compared to last year, too. For all we know, all these teams were in on Abreu so now that he's off the market, they still need 1B help and they will look towards the best guy on the market, who is clearly Napoli.

If any of these teams can get an 'out' inserted into the contract for the hip issue, Napoli probably gets a 3 year deal.
 

radsoxfan

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As an aside about Nap, after seeing his post-parade celebrations....
 
I wonder if he knows excessive alcohol intake is one of the causes of avascular necrosis.  I'm not suggesting he has an alcohol problem, or that one day of binge drinking is likely to cause more problems.  
 
But considering that to our knowledge his docs never found a definite cause, I'm not sure I would be tempting fate right before getting my pre-contract negotiations MRI.  
 

Van Everyman

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If that's the case, there are going to be a lot of people in Boston in need of hip replacements after last weekend.
 

radsoxfan

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Well fortunately for many people (myself included), drinking alcohol doesn't make a very uncommon condition like AVN all of a sudden become likely to occur.  It's just one of the many known risk factors.
 
But for someone who has a known propensity to develop AVN, and as far as we know has no known cause, you would think his doctor/agent would let him know about the association between the two. Of course, it's quite possible Napoli is well aware, but just couldn't help himself. From the pics, it looks like he made it worth his while at least.  
 
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