With the 48-61 Boston Red Sox out of the postseason race once again, the team continued to look toward the future by dealing struggling slugger Mike Napoli to Texas on Friday.
Rob Bradford of WEEI.com first reported the Rangers were bringing back Napoli, who played for the club for two seasons—2011 and 2012. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported the Red Sox sent Napoli and cash considerations to the Rangers for a player to be named later.
Napoli has had a fascinating tenure in Boston. He signed a one-year contract with the club prior to 2013, hit .259/.360/.482 with 23 home runs in 139 games and helped lead the Red Sox to a World Series title.
Boston then signed Napoli to a two-year extension after that season, but his performance began to decline, with a .248/.370/.419 line in 119 games last year before cratering with a .207/.307/.386 line in 2015.
With Napoli in the final year of his deal, the Red Sox were not going to retain him, and the Rangers needed an extra bat to boost their wild-card chances.
Napoli can provide some much-needed right-handed production in Texas, especially against left-handed pitching.
The Rangers also know what Napoli is capable of doing, as his best season came with the franchise in 2011. He hit a career-high 30 home runs in helping lead Texas to its second straight American League pennant.
Credit Texas general manager Jon Daniels for adding talent to make a run. He acquired Cole Hamels before the nonwaiver deadline and now gets a bat to help the offense.
For the Rangers, who enter Friday 2.5 games out of a playoff spot, bringing Napoli back into the fold is a low-risk move that has the potential to propel them into the postseason.
Stats via Baseball-Reference.com.
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