The Red Sox are going outside the organization in search of Mike Napoli‘s backup.
The Sox have signed first baseman Lyle Overbay to a minor league contract with a non-roster invite to spring training, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
Overbay, who turned 36 on Monday, is a career .270 hitter in 12 big league seasons. He hit .259 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 116 at-bats split between Arizona and Atlanta last season. His best season came in 2006, when he hit .312 with 22 home runs and 92 RBIs in 157 games with the Blue Jays.
Overbay will give the Red Sox some depth at first base — something they truly need — as they get ready to enter spring training. Mauro Gomez and Mark Hamilton both figure to compete for a spot on Boston’s bench, but neither has much big league experience. Overbay, on the other hand, has plenty of experience to go along with his left-handed bat.
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Photo via Wikipedia/Lyle Overbay
