The Boston Red Sox have re-signed one of the team’s World Series winning heroes. Mike Napoli will be back in the Red Sox fold, signing a 2-year $32 million contract with the club.
Napoli made the announcement over his twitter account.
The beard is coming back to Boston!!! Couldn’t be happier!! #Bstrong #beards #Ilovethiscity pic.twitter.com/mb2pDxq4tL
— Mike Napoli (@MikeNapoli25) December 7, 2013
Last season Napoli signed a one-year, $5 million dollar deal with the club. There were some bonuses included and he ended up making a little over $8 million, but this new deal still represents a nearly doubled salary for Napoli.
Interestingly Napoli’s original 3-year $39 million deal with the Red Sox was cancelled after a physical showed he had a degenerative disease in his hip. This new deal (coupled with the $8 million he made last year) means that Napoli will make $40 million over the same 3-year term. With a World Series ring delivered, the Red Sox are probably happy to pay it too.
The 32-year-old spent most of his time at first base, with the occasional game at DH for the Red Sox last season. He hit .259/.360/.482 with 23 home runs, 92 RBIs, and 79 runs scored in 139 games last season. He also provided numerous big hits for the Red Sox in their ALCS win over the Detroit Tigers and their World Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Red Sox signed A.J. Pierzynski earlier in the week, allowing Jarrod Saltalamacchia to leave for Miami. They then watched Jacoby Ellsbury sign with the rival New York Yankees. Shortstop Steven Drew remains their only major free agent at this point in time.
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