Red Sox still 'hopeful' of Mike Napoli deal
Mike Napoli - C - Texas Rangers
Jan. 7, 2013 - 6:55 PM ET
Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox are "still working" on signing Mike Napoli and are "hopeful" of getting it done.
The two sides agreed to terms back in early December, but a physical revealed a problem with Napoli's hip and new language of a contract is being worked on. It's not clear at this point what might change about the deal, but obviously the Red Sox want to be covered in case Napoli's hip becomes a major issue. It's possible Boston will turn to Adam LaRoche if the Napoli deal falls through, though they're unlikely to give him the three years he desires.
Source: Pete Abraham on Twitter