Cleveland Indians: Should They Retain Mike Napoli Next Season?
By Jason Evans
The Cleveland Indians rallying cry this season has been party at Napoli’s. Could that party only last for one season?
One of the best bang for the buck signings this season has been the Cleveland Indians giving a one year deal to slugging first baseman Mike Napoli. Napoli did not have the best of seasons between Boston and Texas last season, however, he fared much better with the Rangers before hitting free agency.
Napoli this year has been a revelation, hitting a career-high 34 homers, which was the second time he’s surpassed the 30 homer plateau in his career. He drove in over 100 runs for the first time in his career and his .811 OPS is his highest since 2013.
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The soon-to-be 35 year old is set to hit free agency again this off-season and is looking for a multi year offer. According to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, the Indians are very interested in retaining Napoli.
I think the first part to that decision will be what free agent system will be there? Will there be a qualifying offer or not?
Secondly, how long of a deal will Napoli want? The loser in the Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Trumbo sweepstakes may try and sign Napoli.
Napoli’s contact percentage is it’s lowest since 2013 per Fangraphs. However, his hard contact percentage of 37.3% is his highest since 2013.
The thing the Indians have to decide is whether or not it’s wise to keep him long term. Top prospect Bobby Bradley may not be ready for another year or two to take over that spot. The free agent class is not good and Napoli means so much to the culture of that club, that they may be forced to ante up, perhaps on a shorter term deal with a higher AAV.
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The Indians never pay guys big money and Napoli could certainly get it. Do I think they should find a way to retain him? Yes. Will they? I think only if the Indians make some serious noise in October.