Report: Former Indians IB/DH Mike Napoli Inks One-Year Deal with Texas Rangers

Many Indians fans will always remember the one year impact that Mike Napoli had on the franchise both on and off the field.

Once the team inked slugger Edwin Encarnación, it was obvious that Napoli wouldn’t be back in 2017, and today it sounds like he’s got a new team.

CBS Sports reports that Napoli has inked a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers, a move that isn’t a surprise considering that it will be his 3rd go around with the franchise.

He’ll join the club on a one-year deal, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Napoli previously played with the Rangers in 2011-12 and then again the latter part of 2015.

An All-Star in 2012, Napoli has played in three different World Series, including back with the 2011 Rangers, where he was about one foot from winning the World Series MVP (he hit .350/.464/.700 that series).

This past season, Napoli hit .239/.335/.465 (104 OPS+) with 22 doubles, 34 home runs and 101 RBI. Despite being 34 years old, those home runs and RBI were career highs.

The report says that Napoli will likely do as he did with the Tribe, play first base and DH, and that he’ll get most of the playing time.