REUTERS
Mike Napoli
What to expect: A hip injury turned Napoli’s three-year, $39 million deal with the Red Sox into a one-year pact with incentives. That shows you how much of a concern Napoli’s injury is. Napoli has a career OPS of .863. He hit 24 home runs for the Rangers in 2012, and the Sox are hoping he can return to his 2011 form when he hit .320 with 30 homers, 75 RBIs and a 1.046 OPS. Napoli also got a career average below .260 and is prone to long droughts.
Who he replaces: James Loney? Not quite. Napoli is essentially replacing Adrian Gonzalez, who was traded to the Dodgers last season. Gonzalez had a .300 batting average last year, and while his power numbers were down, he’s one of the premier power hitters in the game.
