WEEI's Rob Bradford is reporting that the Red Sox are closing in on a contract with free agent C/1B Mike Napoli, believed to be for three years. Financial terms haven't yet been reported, and no one for the Red Sox (obviously) has commented.
Napoli put up an .812 OPS (and 24 homers) in an injury-plagued 2012.
If the deal is consummated, Winter Meetings will have kicked off with a bang for the Red Sox, who are expected to be one of the more active teams in Nashville.
Via @redsoxstats, Bill James' magic numbers project Napoli to maintain a .347 OBP and hit 97 home runs over the next four years, before a sharp decline. Perhaps we'll see if Fenway will inflate those numbers if he is indeed Boston bound.
UPDATE: According to Jon Heyman, the deal is three years, $39 million.
