Twins Interested in Mike Napoli – Should They Make the Move?; Yu Darvish Update

It’s been reported that the Minnesota Twins are pursuing free agent DH/1B, Mike Napoli.

The 36 year-old is coming off an interesting one-year stint with the Rangers. Napoli finished last season with 29 home runs in only 124 games. However, his batting average (.193) closed below the Mendoza Line.

Statistics (last two years):

Unlike the chaotic pursuit of Shohei Ohtani, signing Napoli appears to only be a two-horse race. The over pampered New York Mets represent the pony standing a lane over. The Yankees are pure evil, but at least they win. Not only do the Mets suck, but their mascot can’t even keep his composure:

Minnesota recently signed Michael Pineada and Fernando Rodney to big league deals. Will Mike Napoli be the next domino to fall? If not, could it be a much more attractive (and expensive) piece; such as Yu Darvish?

Mike Napoli Information & Yu Darvish Update:

Mike Napoli
In 2016; Napoli and Derek Falvey were part of the Cleveland organization. When 2016 ended, “Falvey” left the State of Ohio for greener pastures, while Napoli headed south. But, before Mike punched his plane ticket, he had to take a phone call from a known voice in a new (and better) state. The call didn’t go as well as Falvey had hoped.

The right-handed hitter agreed to a one year, $8.5M deal with Texas. His reasoning for taking less money was a desire to play for a playoff team……… Joke’s on him, I guess.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Ervin Santana gestures after responding to questions during a baseball news conference Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, in New York. The Twins face the New York Yankees in the American League wild card playoff game on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

It feels good to say that MN now falls into that “contender” category. Even though last season was at a discount, Mike Napoli is now a year-older and coming off that terrible batting average. It’ll be interesting to see how much he can command this time around.

Where would Napoli fit in? Last year, Chris Giminez played a large role as a leader in the Minnesota locker room. However, 2017’s backup catcher isn’t under contract for next year. Catcher, Mitch Garver is the Twin’s organization reigning Minor League Player of the Year. With Garver primed to join the majors in 2018, Giminez’s return is in great flux. Napoli could replace him as that clubhouse presence and provide some much-needed dingers from the DH/1B slot at the same time.

COUNTRY STRONG! HELL YES! LET’S GO!

If you can’t already tell, I’m biased as can be, on this one. I’ve always had a soft spot for Napoli. The man looks like he just came off the set of a Chevy truck commercial.

My only complaint against the bearded slugger is that he wears batting gloves. If I had a hand tattoo like this, I’d let that baby breathe. Imagine being a pitcher, looking at this:

 

Yu Darvish Update
The most recent developments on the hunt to sign Yu Darvish are in regards to the length of his future contract. The 31 year-old is looking to get himself as long of a deal as possible. Naturally. With the RHP set to go over 1,000 career innings this upcoming season, he and his agent don’t know where his game will be in two years.

Per the StarTribune, it would take a club record type of deal to land Darvish. Thus far, there have been no confirmed reports of him receiving an offer from the Twins or any of their competitors. The rumors floating around on Thursday, that Yu signed with the Cubs, weren’t true. That news was more fake than the whole “Balloon Boy Hoax.”

Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope you all enjoy your families and respective traditions. Speaking of traditions, cue the music:

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

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