Mike Napoli is struggling at the plate, and he’s been dropped in the order. Don’t expect the Red Sox to look too hard at external first base options, though.
According to CSNNE.com’s Sean McAdam, the Red Sox don’t have any interest in Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, who cleared waivers this week. McAdam reports that the Red Sox believe they have suitable in-house options if Napoli doesn’t break out of his slump.
Morneau is a four-time All-Star who was once considered one of the better hitters in baseball, so it’s somewhat interesting that the Red Sox aren’t at least considering the 32-year-old. Morneau is hitting .262 with 14 home runs and 67 RBIs in 111 games this season, but he was an All-Star as recently as 2010 and was the AL MVP back in 2006.
Morneau is earning $14 million in the final season of a six-year, $80 million contract. That means he’s owed about $3.5 million for the rest of the year.
The in-house options that McAdam speaks of include Mike Carp and Daniel Nava, who is capable of playing first base despite his primary position being the outfield. Certainly, the Red Sox would prefer to see Napoli just bust out of his recent skid.
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